For the purposes of a CSC 308 example, the non-functional requirements for the Grader Tool are organized into these categories and subcategories:

• performance
• general characteristics
  • Security and Privacy
  • Simplicity versus Power

All class and student creation, modification and deletion commands must execute instantaneously, except for the following:

• the time to retrieve class/student information from SIS must be on the order of seconds except for any delays due to network transmission of data from the central host.

All graded item creation, modification, and deletion commands must execute instantaneously.

All class spreadsheet commands including using the item explorer, viewing grade statistics, and enter grades must execute instantaneously except for the following:

• the time to sort a column must be on the order of seconds

The time to execute all instructor-student interaction commands including student grade prediction must be instantaneous, except for any delays due to network transmission of data from the central host and except for the following:

• the time to set up the server must be on the order of seconds
• the time to post grades must be on the order of seconds

In general, the performance of Grader Tool commands that must access data across a network is subject to potential network delays. The Grader Tool must transmit data as fast as is possible on any given network, but delays due to external network circumstances are beyond the control of the Grader Tool.

There are no specific requirements for the allowable size of a gradebook in terms of the number of students or graded items. A gradebook on the order of dozens of students and graded item is the maximum expected size during normal use.

The maximum expected sizes of the Grader Tool databases are the following:

• user database -- up to tens of thousands of records
• gradebook database -- up to tens of thousands of records

The Grader Tool must be able to operate with gradebooks and students of sizes larger than these normal maximums. However, the grader tool need not the meet the previously-enumerated time performance requirements for gradebooks or databases larger than normal maximum sizes.

3.2. General Characteristics

3.2.1. Security and Privacy

Graded items without the `hidden' option checked must appear on both the instructor's and student's gradebook views. Graded items with the `hidden' option checked must not appear in the student's gradebook view. The central host passwords of any user must be kept secure from viewing or modification by any other Grader Tool user, and from any user at all on the central host. In the student view, other student's names, employee ID's, and grades must be hidden from all other students. A student must not be able to determine another student's standing in the class in terms of grades. Students must not be able to access information about classes they are not enrolled in. TA's must be able to only add, edit, and remove graded items and export grades. TA's must not be able to access other classes not assigned to them. Instructors must not be able to access gradebook data (including student's names, grades, and standing in the class) for gradebooks they did not create.

3.2.2. Simplicity versus Power

On a spectrum of simple-to-use versus powerful, the Grader Tool is heavily on the side of moderate. Users are assumed to be fully computer literate. The Grader Tool offers advanced graded item options for late/extra credit policies that average users may not use.