Functional requirements of Community Forum with non-functional

Functional Requirements

1. User Authentication and Authorization
   • Allow users to create accounts, log in, and manage their profiles.
   • Implement role-based access control with permissions for different roles such as regular members, moderators, and administrators.
2. Forum Categories and Topics
   • Support the creation and management of forum categories and sub-categories.
   • Allow users to create, view, and manage discussion topics within each category.
3. Post Creation and Management
   • Enable users to create new posts, reply to existing posts, and edit or delete their own posts.
   • Support rich text formatting, including images, links, and multimedia content.
4. Moderation and Reporting
   • Provide tools for moderators to review, edit, and delete posts that violate forum rules.
   • Allow users to report inappropriate content or abuse and provide tools for moderators to address these reports.
5. Search and Filtering
   • Implement search functionality to find posts, topics, and users based on keywords or tags.
   • Provide filtering options to sort posts by date, popularity, or relevance.
6. User Interaction and Engagement
   • Support features such as upvoting, downvoting, and liking posts or comments.
   • Provide notifications for replies, mentions, or direct messages.
7. User Profiles and Management
   • Allow users to view and update their profiles, including personal information, avatar, and contact details.
   • Provide options for users to manage their account settings, privacy preferences, and notification preferences.
8. Private Messaging and Communication
   • Enable users to send private messages to other users.
   • Provide a messaging interface for users to view and manage their messages.
9. Content Organization and Display
   • Display posts in a structured format with options for pagination or infinite scrolling.
   • Support tagging or categorization of posts to improve content discovery.
10. Analytics and Reporting
    • Generate reports on forum activity, including active users, popular topics, and post engagement.
    • Provide analytics to track user behavior and forum performance.
11. Integration with External Systems
    • Integrate with social media platforms for sharing posts and topics.
    • Support integration with email systems for notifications and user communication.
12. Compliance and Legal
    • Ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations, including data protection and content moderation policies.
    • Provide legal documentation, terms of service, and privacy policies.

Non-Functional Requirements

1. Performance
   • Ensure quick response times for loading forum pages, creating posts, and performing searches.
   • Handle high volumes of concurrent users and forum activity efficiently.
2. Scalability
   • Support the addition of new categories, topics, and posts as the forum grows.
   • Scale to accommodate increasing numbers of users and content.
3. Reliability
   • Ensure high system availability with minimal downtime.
   • Implement backup and recovery procedures to protect forum data and ensure business continuity.
4. Security
   • Protect user data and forum content with encryption and secure access controls.
   • Implement measures to prevent spam, abuse, and unauthorized access.
5. Usability
   • Provide an intuitive and user-friendly interface for browsing, posting, and interacting within the forum.
   • Ensure ease of navigation and accessibility features for all users, including those with disabilities.
6. Maintainability
   • Design the system for easy updates, maintenance, and troubleshooting.
   • Provide clear documentation for system administrators and developers.
7. Compatibility
   • Ensure compatibility with various devices (e.g., desktops, tablets, smartphones) and operating systems.
   • Integrate seamlessly with other systems and software as needed.
8. Data Integrity
   • Ensure accuracy and consistency of forum content, user profiles, and interactions.
   • Implement validation checks and error-handling mechanisms to maintain data quality.
9. Support and Documentation
   • Provide user manuals, help guides, and support resources for troubleshooting and training.
   • Offer technical support for system issues and maintenance.
10. Auditability
    • Maintain logs of user actions, content changes, and system activity for auditing purposes.
    • Provide audit trails for moderation activities, user interactions, and system modifications.