Functional requirements of Online Research Management System with non-functional

Functional Requirements

1. User Registration and Authentication:
   • Allow users (researchers, project managers, administrators) to create and manage accounts with role-based access control.
   • Implement secure authentication methods, including password recovery and multi-factor authentication.
2. Research Project Management:
   • Enable users to create, manage, and track research projects, including project objectives, timelines, milestones, and budgets.
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   • Support project documentation, including research proposals, progress reports, and final deliverables.
3. Collaboration and Communication:
   • Provide tools for team collaboration, including discussion forums, chat, and file sharing.
   • Allow users to assign tasks, set deadlines, and track task completion.
4. Document Management:
   • Enable users to upload, store, and manage research documents, such as papers, datasets, and protocols.
   • Support version control for document revisions and changes.
5. Data Management:
   • Provide tools for managing research data, including data entry, organization, and storage.
   • Support data import/export and integration with other data sources and tools.
6. Research Workflow and Process Management:
   • Support customizable workflows for different types of research projects, including review, approval, and compliance processes.
   • Allow users to define and manage research processes, including ethical reviews and grant applications.
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7. Reporting and Analytics:
   • Generate reports on project progress, resource utilization, and research outcomes.
   • Provide analytics tools for monitoring research performance and identifying trends.
8. Grant and Funding Management:
   • Enable users to manage research grants and funding, including application, tracking, and reporting.
   • Support integration with funding agencies and grant management systems.
9. Compliance and Ethics Management:
   • Provide tools for managing compliance with research ethics and regulations, including consent forms and ethical approvals.
   • Allow users to track and report compliance-related activities.
10. Integration with Research Tools:
    • Integrate with other research tools and systems, such as bibliographic databases, laboratory information management systems (LIMS), and statistical software.
    • Provide APIs and connectors for data exchange and synchronization.
11. User Access and Permissions:
    • Implement role-based access control to restrict or grant permissions based on user roles (e.g., researchers, project managers, administrators).
    • Allow administrators to manage user roles and permissions.
12. Alerts and Notifications:
    • Send notifications to users for important events, such as upcoming deadlines, task assignments, and document updates.
    • Allow users to configure notification preferences and delivery methods (e.g., email, SMS, push notifications).
13. Search and Retrieval:
    • Provide advanced search functionality to find research projects, documents, and data based on various criteria (e.g., keywords, tags, categories).
    • Implement filtering options to narrow down search results.

Non-Functional Requirements

1. Scalability:
   • The system should handle increasing numbers of research projects, users, and data without performance issues.
   • Support for scaling infrastructure to accommodate growth and peak usage periods.
2. Performance:
   • Ensure fast and responsive interactions, with quick data retrieval, document access, and report generation.
   • Optimize performance to handle large volumes of research data and concurrent users efficiently.
3. Reliability and Availability:
   • Ensure high availability with minimal downtime, supported by redundancy, load balancing, and failover mechanisms.
   • Implement regular backups and disaster recovery procedures to maintain service continuity.
4. Usability:
   • The user interface should be intuitive and user-friendly, accommodating users with varying levels of technical expertise.
   • Provide a consistent and seamless experience across different devices and platforms.
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5. Security:
   • Implement robust security measures to protect user data, research documents, and sensitive information, including encryption, secure authentication, and access controls.
   • Protect against unauthorized access, data breaches, and cyber threats.
6. Maintainability:
   • Ensure the system is easy to maintain, with clear documentation, modular design, and support for regular updates and bug fixes.
   • Implement automated monitoring and logging to identify and address issues promptly.
7. Compliance:
   • Ensure the system complies with relevant regulations and standards, such as data protection laws (e.g., GDPR, HIPAA) and research regulations.
   • Provide features to support auditing, data retention, and regulatory reporting requirements.
8. Data Integrity and Accuracy:
   • Ensure that all data collected and processed by the system is accurate, consistent, and up-to-date.
   • Implement validation checks and data integrity mechanisms to prevent errors and data corruption.
9. Localization and Internationalization:
   • Support multiple languages and regional settings to cater to a global user base.
   • Allow easy adaptation of the system to meet local regulations and cultural practices.
10. Accessibility:
    • Ensure that the system is accessible to users with disabilities, following web accessibility standards (e.g., WCAG).
    • Provide features such as screen reader compatibility, keyboard navigation, and adjustable text sizes.
11. Privacy and Data Ownership:
    • Ensure that users retain ownership of their data and can easily control, access, and delete their information.
    • Provide transparency regarding data usage, sharing, and storage practices, with clear consent mechanisms.