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Reference.org
Specification (technical standard)
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<p> A specification often refers to a set of documented requirements to be satisfied by a material, design, product, or service. A specification is often a type of <a href="/facts/Technical_standard/P4orT1SM">technical standard</a>. </p><p>There are different types of technical or engineering specifications (specs), and the term is used differently in different technical contexts. They often refer to particular documents, and/or particular information within them. The word <i>specification</i> is broadly defined as "to state explicitly or in detail" or "to be specific". </p><p>A requirement specification is a documented <a href="/facts/Requirement/bxKc7tgQ">requirement</a>, or set of documented requirements, to be satisfied by a given material, design, product, service, etc. It is a common early part of <a href="/facts/Engineering_design/heCF3wFo">engineering design</a> and <a href="/facts/Product_development/ogcXTIco">product development</a> processes in many fields. </p><p>A functional specification is a kind of requirement specification, and may show functional block diagrams. </p><p>A design or product specification describes the features of the <i>solutions</i> for the Requirement Specification, referring to either a designed solution or final produced solution. It is often used to guide fabrication/production. Sometimes the term <i>specification</i> is here used in connection with a <a href="/facts/Data_sheet/U4PhwRJM">data sheet</a> (or <i>spec sheet</i>), which may be confusing. A data sheet describes the technical characteristics of an item or product, often published by a manufacturer to help people choose or use the products. A data sheet is not a technical specification in the sense of informing how to produce. </p><p>An "in-service" or "maintained as" specification, specifies the conditions of a system or object after years of operation, including the effects of wear and maintenance (configuration changes). </p><p>Specifications are a type of technical standard that may be developed by any of various kinds of organizations, in both the <a href="/facts/Public_sector/bV8gdzPu">public</a> and <a href="/facts/Private_sector/fQudW9hp">private</a> sectors. Example organization types include a <a href="/facts/Corporation/hykSVoWJ">corporation</a>, a <a href="/facts/Consortium/uMGVbLps">consortium</a> (a small group of corporations), a <a href="/facts/Trade_association/emPa7AJG">trade association</a> (an industry-wide group of corporations), a national government (including its different public entities, <a href="/facts/Regulatory_agency/VXSrsDSM">regulatory agencies</a>, and national laboratories and institutes), a <a href="/facts/Professional_association/CGgApQAM">professional association</a> (society), a purpose-made <a href="/facts/Standards_organization/8o7wGeYg">standards organization</a> such as <a href="/facts/International_Organization_for_Standardization/IacYR7Yg">ISO</a>, or vendor-neutral developed generic requirements. It is common for one organization to <i>refer to</i> (<i>reference</i>, <i>call out</i>, <i>cite</i>) the standards of another. Voluntary standards may become mandatory if adopted by a government or business contract. </p>