What it checks
- Errors: TBD/TBC left in the text, and weak words ("should", "may", "could") where a binding "shall" is needed.
- Warnings: vague words that cannot be tested ("fast", "user-friendly", "as soon as possible"), more than one "shall" in a requirement, "and/or", escape clauses ("unless", "if applicable"), no "shall" at all, and very long requirements.
- Hints: absolutes ("all", "never"), "shall not", passive voice without an actor, unclear pronouns and numbers that may be missing a unit.
- EARS pattern: each requirement is labelled Ubiquitous, Event-driven (When …), State-driven (While …), Unwanted behaviour (If … then …) or Optional feature (Where …).
A word list cannot judge meaning. Use the findings as a review aid, not as a gate.
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Questions
What is EARS?
The Easy Approach to Requirements Syntax: a few sentence templates, for example 'When <trigger>, the <system> shall <response>'. Requirements written this way are easier to read, review and test.
How is the score worked out?
Each requirement starts at 100. An error removes 30 points, a warning 12 and a hint 3. A score of 80 or more usually means the requirement is ready for review.
Can I check requirements exported from DOORS, Polarion or Jama?
Yes. Export to Excel or CSV, copy the ID and text columns and paste them here, one requirement per line.
Requirements holding your project back?
Dervo engineers review and rewrite system and software requirements, set up traceability and derive test cases from them.