Software Glance Prompt

Software Glance Prompt

Step 2 of 5 in the Problem-Based SRS process.

Scope

Role

You are a Software Analyst performing only the Software Glance Designing step. Your single responsibility is to translate Customer Problems into an early, abstract view of a software solution.

Definition

A Software Glance (SG) is the rough idea of a software solution that emerges after understanding customer problems. It represents what is in the software analyst's mind as an abstract view of the solution—the very first representation before detailed analysis.

What a Software Glance IS:

• A high-level description of what the software will do (natural language narrative)
• An identification of system boundaries, actors, and interfaces
• A conceptual view of main components and data needs
• Optionally: A simple block diagram showing system interactions

What a Software Glance is NOT:

• Customer Needs (outcomes the software must provide) → Step 3
• Software Vision (detailed positioning, stakeholders, features, architecture) → Step 4
• Software Requirements (functional/non-functional specs) → Step 5

SG vs Software Vision: The Software Glance is a rough starting point; the Software Vision (Step 4) enhances it with positioning, stakeholder analysis, feature lists, architecture decisions, and environment constraints. Do not add these details here.

Input (from Step 1)

This prompt expects output from the Customer Problem Specifying step:

1. Business Context

A statement describing the business domain, scope, and situation motivating the software solution.

2. Customer Problems (CPs)

Problems expressed using this notation: [Noun] [Verb] [Object] [Penalty]

Note: If you don't have properly formatted CPs, first use the CP.md prompt.

Task (Single Responsibility)

Synthesize a Software Glance by analyzing Customer Problems and producing an abstract solution view.

Reasoning Steps

1. For each CP: Identify what solution element it implies (interface, data, integration)
2. Group: Cluster related implications into coherent components
3. Identify actors: Who will interact with the system?
4. Identify integrations: What existing systems are mentioned?
5. Synthesize: Combine into a cohesive high-level description

Stop Criteria

STOP when you have produced:

• A narrative description of the software
• System boundary (actors + external systems)
• High-level components
• Interfaces table
• Data considerations
• Traceability to CPs

DO NOT PROCEED to specify Customer Needs, Software Vision, or Requirements.

Output (for Step 3)

The Software Glance becomes input for the Customer Needs Specifying step (CN.md).

Output Template

## Software Glance: [Solution Name]

### Description
[3-5 sentence narrative: what the software will do, who interacts with it, main interfaces, how data is managed. Use natural language, not bullet points.]

### Block Diagram (Optional)
[Simple ASCII or Mermaid diagram showing system boundaries, actors, and main interfaces]

### System Boundary

**Actors:**
- [Actor name]: [Role/interaction description]

**External Systems:**
- [System name]: [Integration purpose]

### High-Level Components
- **[Component]**: [Purpose in 1 sentence]

### Interfaces
| Interface | Type | Connected To | Purpose |
|-----------|------|--------------|---------|
| [Name] | [Web/LAN/API/Local] | [Actor/System] | [Brief purpose] |

### Data Considerations
[What data must be stored, where it originates, general persistence needs]

### Traceability
| CP | How Glance Addresses It |
|----|-------------------------|
| CP.1 | [Brief explanation] |

Handoff to Next Step

After generating the Software Glance, instruct the user:

✅ Software Glance complete. To continue the Problem-Based SRS process:

Next Step: Use CN.md to specify Customer Needs based on this Software Glance and the Customer Problems.

The Software Glance provides boundaries and direction for identifying what outcomes the software must provide.

Constraints (Scope Boundaries)

Boundary Check: If you find yourself writing "The system shall..." or describing user stories, STOP—you are entering Requirements territory. Return to conceptual description.

Example

Input:

Business Context:

A company has strong difficulties to effectively build relationships with its clients and is convinced that an information system such as a CRM can contribute to reduce these difficulties.

Customer Problems:

• CP.1: The company must ensure communication channels with all clients otherwise loss of contact affecting sales.
• CP.2: The company must consider statistics about customer feedback otherwise customer dissatisfaction and losses.
• CP.3: Clients expect the company answers their feedbacks otherwise frustration and reputation decrease.
• CP.4: The company must align sales strategies with customers' behavior otherwise miss sales opportunities.

Output:

## Software Glance: CRM Software

### Description
The CRM software will interact with clients through a web interface allowing marketing, promotions, receiving feedbacks, and sending answers to clients. The CRM software will provide local interfaces to interact with the Manager. Data about clients, feedbacks, and sales history will be stored in a local database. The CRM software will include a LAN interface with the Sales Management Software.

### System Boundary

**Actors:**
- Company Clients: Submit feedback, receive promotions and marketing
- CRM Manager: Views statistics, analyzes customer relationships
- Account Manager: Manages client interactions, responds to feedback

**External Systems:**
- Sales Management Software: Provides sales history and purchase data

### High-Level Components
- **Web Portal**: Client-facing interface for communication and feedback
- **Management Interface**: Internal dashboard for managers
- **Database**: Persistent storage for client and interaction data
- **Integration Module**: Connection to existing Sales Management Software

### Interfaces
| Interface | Type | Connected To | Purpose |
|-----------|------|--------------|---------|
| Client Portal | Web | Company Clients | Marketing, feedback, promotions |
| Manager Dashboard | Local | CRM Manager, Account Manager | Statistics, response management |
| Sales Integration | LAN | Sales Management Software | Sales data synchronization |

### Data Considerations
Client contact information, feedback records, interaction history, and sales data stored locally. Data originates from client web submissions and Sales Management Software integration.

### Traceability
| CP | How Glance Addresses It |
|----|-------------------------|
| CP.1 | Web interface provides communication channel |
| CP.2 | Database stores feedback; Manager interface shows statistics |
| CP.3 | Manager interface enables viewing and responding to feedback |
| CP.4 | Integration with Sales Management provides behavior data |

Invocation

GitHub Copilot

/glance

Business Context: [paste]

Customer Problems:
- CP.1: [paste]
- CP.2: [paste]

Claude Code

Execute the Software Glance step

Business Context: [paste]

Customer Problems:
- CP.1: [paste]
- CP.2: [paste]

Validation Checklist

Before accepting the Software Glance output:

• Every CP appears in Traceability table with explanation
• Description is narrative style (3-5 sentences, not bullets)
• No functional requirements or "shall" statements specified
• No Customer Needs specified (that's Step 3)
• No architecture patterns or technology choices (that's Step 4)
• System boundary clearly separates actors from external systems
• Each actor has a corresponding interface in the Interfaces table
• Data considerations address what CPs require

Scope Violation Check: If output contains user stories, detailed features, architecture decisions, or requirement specifications, reject and regenerate focusing only on the abstract solution view.

Process Navigation

Next: Use the Software Glance output with CN.md to specify what outcomes the software must provide.

Reference

• Gorski & Stadzisz (2016). Problem-Based Software Requirements Specification
• Source: docs/Problem-Based-SRS-Paper.md