Any software application regardless of the delivery method has to have a set of Rules & Definitions -
Generally speaking when developing a web based application these rules & definitions cover the user interface experience. This is not to say there are not other rules & definitions that need to be defined but this is what our experience has been:
Rules:
Rules define a set of circumstance that the user will encounter or what the project owners what to see occur if X happens.
i.e.
Rule - User enters their user name and password and click submit - following rules apply:
- If user is not registered, then the user registration page is displayed
- If user is registered they are transfered to the Welcome Page
Definition:- User = Someone who has previously registered on the site and has obtained a password
- Non-User = Someone who has not registered on the site yet
This is a very simplistic set of Rules & Definitions but it does illustrate what Rules and Definitions are as they relate to Web Application Development Projects.
Depending on the complexity of the project a Rules & Definitions list could be several hundred pages in size.
Rules & Definitions help establish your applications workflow and define terms that are Germaine to your project, and also help all persons within the project team to be on the same page.