NFR Quantification

Purpose

Transform vague non-functional requirements into specific, measurable metrics that can be tested, monitored, and used as acceptance criteria.

When to Use

• NFR definition
• SLA discussions
• Architecture decisions
• Performance targets
• Monitoring setup

Prerequisites

• NFR categories identified
• Business context understood
• Industry benchmarks available

Process

Step 1: Identify NFR Categories

Categories to quantify:
- Performance (response time, throughput)
- Scalability (users, data volume)
- Availability (uptime, recovery)
- Security (compliance, encryption)
- Usability (accessibility, satisfaction)
- Reliability (error rates, MTBF)
- Maintainability (code quality, documentation)

Step 2: Define Specific Metrics

For each NFR, specify:
- Metric name
- Unit of measurement
- Target value
- Acceptable range
- Measurement method
- Monitoring frequency

Step 3: Set Realistic Targets

Consider:
- Industry benchmarks
- Competitor analysis
- User expectations
- Technical feasibility
- Cost implications
- Current baseline (if exists)

Step 4: Create NFR Matrix

Matrix format:
| NFR ID | Category | Metric | Target | Min | Max | Method |
|--------|----------|--------|--------|-----|-----|--------|
| NFR-001 | Perf | Response | 2s | 1s | 3s | APM |

Step 5: Define Measurement Plan

For each metric:
- How is it measured?
- When is it measured?
- Who reviews results?
- What triggers alerts?
- What is the escalation path?

Inputs

Input	Type	Required	Description
raw_nfrs	Markdown	Yes	Unquantified NFRs
benchmarks	JSON	Optional	Industry standards
constraints	Markdown	Optional	System constraints

Outputs

Output	Type	Description
nfr_matrix.md	Markdown	Quantified NFRs
monitoring_plan.md	Markdown	Measurement approach
sla_targets.md	Markdown	SLA definition

StudyAbroad-Specific Considerations

• Peak load during application deadlines
• GDPR compliance metrics (response times for data requests)
• External API dependency SLAs
• Multi-region latency targets

Integration Points

• Architecture Agent: NFRs drive design
• DevOps Agent: Monitoring implementation
• Operations Agent: SLA tracking
• Test Manager: Performance test design

Examples

NFR Quantification Matrix - StudyAbroad-v1

PERFORMANCE:
| ID | Metric | Target | Threshold | Critical |
|----|--------|--------|-----------|----------|
| NFR-P01 | Page load time | < 2s | < 3s | < 5s |
| NFR-P02 | API response | < 500ms | < 1s | < 2s |
| NFR-P03 | Search results | < 2s | < 3s | < 5s |
| NFR-P04 | File upload (10MB) | < 30s | < 60s | < 120s |

SCALABILITY:
| ID | Metric | Target | Notes |
|----|--------|--------|-------|
| NFR-S01 | Concurrent users | 10,000 | Normal load |
| NFR-S02 | Peak users | 25,000 | Deadline periods |
| NFR-S03 | Applications/day | 5,000 | Processing capacity |
| NFR-S04 | Storage growth | 100GB/month | Document uploads |

AVAILABILITY:
| ID | Metric | Target | Recovery |
|----|--------|--------|----------|
| NFR-A01 | Uptime | 99.5% | Monthly measure |
| NFR-A02 | RTO | 4 hours | Max recovery time |
| NFR-A03 | RPO | 1 hour | Max data loss |

SECURITY:
| ID | Metric | Target |
|----|--------|--------|
| NFR-SEC01 | Encryption | AES-256 at rest |
| NFR-SEC02 | TLS | TLS 1.3 minimum |
| NFR-SEC03 | Password hash | bcrypt, cost 12 |
| NFR-SEC04 | Session timeout | 30 min inactive |

GDPR COMPLIANCE:
| ID | Metric | Target |
|----|--------|--------|
| NFR-G01 | Data access request | < 30 days |
| NFR-G02 | Deletion request | < 72 hours |
| NFR-G03 | Breach notification | < 72 hours |

Validation

• All NFRs have measurable metrics
• Targets are realistic and achievable
• Measurement method defined
• Monitoring plan in place
• Stakeholder agreement on targets

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ARCHITECTURE AGENT SKILLS (12 Skills: ARCH-001 to ARCH-012)

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