Imprecise verb

IBM® Engineering Requirements Quality Assistant (RQA) message: Statements with verbs such as be capable to or be capable of are broad and difficult to verify. For example, a system might be able to do something, but might not do it consistently. Effective requirements include a specific action that can be conclusively verified. In capability requirements, stating a stakeholder goal as shall be able to is appropriate. In system requirements, replace imprecise verbs with specific and measurable actions.

Explanation

Phrases such as be capable of are difficult to verify because they can have several meanings and interpretations. To avoid ambiguity, use direct verbs.

Example

If you want to mention the maximum number of iron rods the cutter blade can cut, you might write the following requirement:

• The cutter blade will be capable of cutting 1 K iron rods.

However, the phrase be capable of is ambiguous. You can modify the requirement as follows:

• The cutter blade will cut maximum 1 K iron rods.