Extra! Extra!

Creating a website without a concise plan is a regular, costly
mistake.

There have been countless projects that have failed due to poor planning.
The sites were either never completed, not completed as envisioned, or
over budget/deadline. The largest majority of project failures are a
direct result of miscommunication between site developers, client
and project management.

The functional spec is a continuation of the functional brief and
describes, in non-technical terms, the actions (functionalities) of the
site but not how those actions are to be accomplished. Spec’s outline what
the site does for its visitors for the length of the websites operation.
The value of the creation of Functional Specifications is that there are a
number of ways to ensure that the content is functional
and meets the client’s expectations.

Spec’s allow for the testing team to perform the quality analysis required
to deliver a flawless product/application within the strictest time
frame. This is achieved by:

• Enumerating the specifications that will be utilize for the life of the
  project.
• Developing rapid software prototyping capabilities that make it faster
  to develop and communicate user interface designs to everybody.
• Clarifying all requirements.

Specs greatly improve communication with web development teams, eliminate
time wasted as a result of false assumptions, put the control in the hands
of the client, and are often used in presentations. Ultimately, specs save
time and money, while improving the quality of the final website.