Arc Skills / Requirements
Review a requirement against the INCOSE Guide for Writing Requirements
Arc Skills compares exact requirement wording with the user-supplied Guide for Writing Requirements edition and permitted locators. Without that text, it returns a useful general writing review while leaving INCOSE conformance undetermined.
Use this skill
Use Arc Skills to review the supplied requirement against the licensed INCOSE Guide for Writing Requirements.
Inputs:
- Exact requirement ID, wording, level, source, and definitions
- Authorized guide edition and relevant permitted excerpts with page or rule locators
- Verification boundary and any controlled customer-clause precedence
Return a side-by-side review with applicable guide locator, observation, minimal proposal, and open decision.
If the guide text is unavailable, give only general quality observations and leave INCOSE conformance undeterminedWhat you provide and what you get
| What you have | How it is used | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Requirement and context | Preserves source wording and intended outcome | Phrase-specific findings |
| Licensed guide excerpt | Supplies actual edition, rule text, and scope | Traceable guide comparison |
| Definitions and precedence | Tests applicability and avoids overwriting customer intent | Open engineering decisions |
A bus isolation statement without the licensed rule text
Illustrative engineering example.
This worked example deliberately has no licensed guide excerpt. It shows a bounded engineering observation and a source-locator row awaiting the project’s permitted guide edition.
R-8: The unit shall rapidly and safely isolate the bus.
Guide edition and rule/page: [not supplied].
Controlled timing and isolation definitions: [not supplied].| Original / criterion | Observation and proposal | Disposition |
|---|---|---|
| R-8: The unit shall rapidly and safely isolate the bus. | General observation: “rapidly” lacks a decision limit. Proposal: isolate within [approved time] after [defined trigger]. | Open timing-budget source and event definition. |
| “safely” in R-8 | General observation: could mean hazard control distinct from isolation. Ask owner for intended safety outcome. | Do not split obligations until source intent is clear. |
| INCOSE Guide [edition] [rule/page] | Licensed source not supplied; no rule text inspected. | Applicability and conformance undetermined. |
A missing numerical or observable boundary can be identified from the requirement itself. That is a general engineering finding, not an attributed INCOSE rule violation.
The blank locator is intentional. A future controlled edition may contain an applicable criterion, an exception, or no relevant criterion at all. The reviewer must inspect its wording and project applicability before adding a guide-specific verdict.
Ground every guide finding
- Preserve the exact requirement, source clause, level, and controlled definitions.
- Inspect the user-authorized guide edition and record the relevant page or rule locator.
- Check whether that criterion applies to this sentence and distinguish advice from contractual obligation.
- Keep minimal proposed wording beside the original and leave missing limits to owners.
Questions about this task
Can a web summary supply an INCOSE rule number?
No. Use the permitted guide edition or excerpt and its actual locator; otherwise leave the guide comparison open.
Must every sentence containing “and” be split?
No. Determine whether it expresses one observable outcome or separate obligations in the actual context.
Sources and further reading
- INCOSE publications: Publisher source for the guide; the licensed guide text must be supplied for rule review.
- NASA Systems Engineering Handbook: Lifecycle and requirements guidance; the example decisions are illustrative.
The licensed INCOSE guide was not supplied for this illustrative example, so no guide rule or compliance claim is asserted.