Trace requirements to parts and steps

Keep a list of requirement IDs, trace each to the parts and steps that meet it, and import the list from a CSV or Excel file.

In short

A requirement ID ties a part or step to a line in the document you build from, such as REQ-12. The Designer keeps the list, shows which requirements nothing traces yet and writes the IDs into the build brief, the trace export and coverage.

Before you start

• Who: importing and tracing need Edit. Anyone who can open the design reads the list.
• Plan: Designer is part of every plan, Free included. The Free plan limits how many designs a workspace keeps; Plan & usage shows the limit and what you hold.
• First: a CSV or Excel (.xlsx) file of at most 2 MB, or type the IDs yourself.

Steps

1. Choose "Review" and then "Requirements".
2. Select the parts or steps that meet a requirement, then press "Trace with the 2 selected" on its row.
3. Or type the IDs in "Requirement IDs" under "Details" in the inspector, separated by commas.
4. Choose "Not traced yet" to see what nothing traces.

1. In "Requirements", press "Link a card or note" on the requirement's row.
2. Choose the kind, search by name and press "Link".
3. The row now names the card or note. Press its name to open it, or press "Unlink" to take the link away.

People who may not open the card or note see "A record you cannot open", never its title. The linked card or note also shows in the design's Related panel.

1. In "Requirements", press "Import from a file" and choose a CSV or Excel (.xlsx) export from DOORS, Jama or any sheet.
2. Pick the "ID column", the "Title column" and, if the file names it, the "Step column".
3. Check "The first rows of the file" and the summary, then press "Import".

Result: the list changes in one step you can undo. The summary says how many are new, how many titles were updated, how many are traced to steps and how many rows were skipped.

Add one by hand

• Under "Add a requirement", type the ID, such as REQ-12, and a title, then press "Add".
• Press "Untrace the selected" to take the selected parts or steps off a requirement.

Good to know

• The file is read to show the preview and is never kept. It is at most 2 MB and 2,000 rows. Rows past the limit are left out and counted.
• IDs are matched exactly. A requirement that is already listed gets its title updated.
• A spreadsheet formula is kept as its text, never calculated.
• A part or step holds at most 20 IDs, and a design at most 2,000 requirements.
• The IDs appear in each card's build brief, in the "Requirements" column of the trace export and in coverage. Documentation exports list them in a "Requirements" table.
• On a workflow, each requirement an action step traces shows what the tests of those steps prove: "Verified" when every one is verified, "Failing" when one fails, and "Not proven yet" otherwise. The line above the list counts them. It reads the design as it was last saved, so a change shows a few seconds after the save.
• Importing and tracing need Edit.
• What happens next: the import is one change you can undo. The file itself is never kept.

If something goes wrong

• "Choose a requirements file: CSV or Excel (.xlsx)."
• "The requirements file has no header row." - add a first row that names the columns.
• "The requirements file could not be read. Save it as CSV or Excel (.xlsx) and try again."
• "The file is larger than 2 MB. Export fewer rows, or save it as CSV."
• "Nothing in the file changes the design." - every row is already in the list.

Related

• /help/designer/custom-properties
• /help/designer/prove-a-feature
• /help/designer/create-the-plan
• /help/designer/build-and-proof-on-the-canvas