Requirements engineering involves analyzing user needs and constraints to define the services and limitations of a software system. It has several key steps:
1. Requirements analysis identifies stakeholders and understands requirements through client interviews to define both functional requirements about system services and non-functional constraints.
2. Requirements are documented in a requirements specification that defines what the system should do without describing how.
3. The document is validated through reviews and prototyping to ensure requirements accurately capture user needs before development begins.