---
title: "Requirements Management"
description: "Complete guide to managing requirements with bidirectional traceability, impact analysis, and stakeholder collaboration."
---

## Overview

Requirements management is the foundation of successful product development. TracerTM provides a comprehensive platform for capturing, organizing, tracing, and managing requirements throughout the entire product lifecycle.

### Why Requirements Traceability Matters

- **Impact Analysis**: Understand how changes propagate through your system
- **Compliance**: Demonstrate coverage for regulated industries (medical, automotive, aerospace)
- **Quality Assurance**: Ensure all requirements are tested and verified
- **Change Management**: Track requirement evolution and maintain audit trails
- **Stakeholder Communication**: Provide visibility into requirement status and dependencies

### Key Capabilities

TracerTM enables:
- Hierarchical requirements decomposition
- Bidirectional traceability to design, code, and test artifacts
- Real-time impact analysis for change requests
- Requirements baselining and version control
- Collaborative review workflows
- Integration with external ALM tools

---

## Requirements Elicitation and Capture

### Creating Requirements

Requirements can be captured through multiple channels:

#### CLI Quick Capture
```bash
# Create a high-level business requirement
tracertm item create \
  --project "mobile-app" \
  --title "User Authentication" \
  --type "business-req" \
  --description "Users must authenticate securely" \
  --priority "high"

# Create a functional requirement linked to parent
tracertm item create \
  --project "mobile-app" \
  --title "OAuth 2.0 Integration" \
  --type "functional-req" \
  --parent "REQ-001" \
  --description "Support OAuth 2.0 with Google and Microsoft providers"
```

#### Web Interface Workflow
1. Navigate to **Projects** → Select project
2. Click **New Requirement**
3. Fill in requirement details:
   - **Type**: Business, Functional, Non-functional
   - **Priority**: Critical, High, Medium, Low
   - **Status**: Draft, Under Review, Approved, Implemented
4. Add acceptance criteria and constraints
5. Link to parent requirements or source documents

#### Bulk Import
Import requirements from spreadsheets or external tools:

```bash
# Import from CSV
tracertm import csv requirements.csv \
  --project "mobile-app" \
  --type "requirement" \
  --mapping "title:Requirement,description:Description,priority:Priority"

# Import from Jira
tracertm import jira \
  --project "mobile-app" \
  --jira-project "MOBILE" \
  --query "type=Requirement AND status!=Closed"
```

### Requirement Templates

Use templates for consistent requirement capture:

**Functional Requirement Template**:
- **ID**: Auto-generated
- **Title**: Clear, concise statement
- **Description**: Detailed specification
- **Acceptance Criteria**: Testable conditions
- **Priority**: Business value ranking
- **Rationale**: Why this requirement exists
- **Source**: Stakeholder or document reference

**Non-Functional Requirement Template**:
- **Category**: Performance, Security, Usability, etc.
- **Metric**: Quantifiable measurement
- **Target Value**: Specific threshold
- **Test Method**: How it will be verified

---

## Requirements Hierarchy and Decomposition

### Multi-Level Requirements Structure

TracerTM supports hierarchical requirements organization:

```
Business Requirements (BR)
├── Functional Requirements (FR)
│   ├── Feature Specifications (FS)
│   └── User Stories (US)
├── Non-Functional Requirements (NFR)
│   ├── Performance Requirements
│   └── Security Requirements
└── Constraints and Assumptions
```

### Building the Hierarchy

#### Define Parent-Child Relationships
```bash
# Create parent business requirement
tracertm item create \
  --project "ecommerce" \
  --title "BR-001: Secure Payment Processing" \
  --type "business-req"

# Create child functional requirements
tracertm item create \
  --project "ecommerce" \
  --title "FR-001: PCI-DSS Compliant Card Processing" \
  --type "functional-req" \
  --parent "BR-001"

tracertm item create \
  --project "ecommerce" \
  --title "FR-002: Multiple Payment Provider Support" \
  --type "functional-req" \
  --parent "BR-001"
```

#### Create Traceability Links
```bash
# Link functional requirement to user story
tracertm link create \
  --source "FR-001" \
  --target "US-042" \
  --type "decomposes-to"

# Link requirement to design document
tracertm link create \
  --source "FR-001" \
  --target "DESIGN-023" \
  --type "realized-by"
```

### Requirements Decomposition Best Practices

1. **Top-Down Approach**: Start with business goals, decompose to technical specifications
2. **SMART Criteria**: Ensure requirements are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound
3. **Appropriate Granularity**: High-level requirements for stakeholders, detailed specs for developers
4. **Trace to Source**: Every derived requirement links back to its source
5. **Avoid Redundancy**: One source of truth per requirement

---

## Bidirectional Traceability Setup

### Forward Traceability

Track requirements downstream to implementation and verification:

```
Requirement → Design → Code → Test Case → Test Result
```

#### Example Workflow
```bash
# Requirement to design
tracertm link create \
  --source "REQ-101" \
  --target "DESIGN-045" \
  --type "satisfied-by"

# Design to implementation
tracertm link create \
  --source "DESIGN-045" \
  --target "CODE-auth/oauth.py" \
  --type "implemented-by"

# Implementation to test
tracertm link create \
  --source "CODE-auth/oauth.py" \
  --target "TEST-201" \
  --type "verified-by"
```

### Backward Traceability

Track from implementation back to originating requirements:

```
Test Case → Code → Design → Requirement → Business Goal
```

This ensures:
- No orphaned code or tests
- Every feature has a business justification
- Coverage gaps are identified

### Traceability Matrix

Generate comprehensive traceability reports:

```bash
# Requirements to test coverage matrix
tracertm matrix generate \
  --project "mobile-app" \
  --source-type "requirement" \
  --target-type "test-case" \
  --format "html"

# Export for stakeholder review
tracertm matrix generate \
  --project "mobile-app" \
  --source-type "business-req" \
  --target-type "functional-req,test-case" \
  --format "excel" \
  --output "requirements-traceability.xlsx"
```

---

## Change Impact Analysis

### Analyzing Requirement Changes

Before approving a change request, assess its impact:

#### Impact Analysis Workflow
```bash
# Analyze impact of changing a requirement
tracertm impact analyze "REQ-042" \
  --depth 3 \
  --show-affected-items

# Output shows:
# - Direct dependencies (design, code)
# - Test cases requiring updates
# - Downstream requirements affected
# - Related change requests
```

#### Web Interface Analysis
1. Select requirement to modify
2. Click **Analyze Impact**
3. Review impact graph showing:
   - Affected requirements (upstream/downstream)
   - Design documents requiring updates
   - Code modules impacted
   - Test cases needing revision
   - Documentation updates needed
4. Export impact report for change review board

### Change Request Management

Track requirement change requests:

```bash
# Create change request
tracertm item create \
  --project "mobile-app" \
  --title "CR-001: Add Biometric Authentication" \
  --type "change-request" \
  --relates-to "REQ-025"

# Link to affected requirements
tracertm link create \
  --source "CR-001" \
  --target "REQ-025,REQ-026,REQ-030" \
  --type "affects"

# Track approval workflow
tracertm item update "CR-001" \
  --status "under-review" \
  --assign "product-owner"
```

### Impact Scoring

Automatically calculate change impact:

- **Scope**: Number of affected artifacts
- **Effort**: Estimated work based on dependencies
- **Risk**: Criticality of affected components
- **Test Coverage**: Number of test cases requiring updates

---

## Requirements Baselining and Versioning

### Creating Baselines

Establish requirement snapshots at key milestones:

```bash
# Create baseline for release 1.0
tracertm baseline create \
  --project "mobile-app" \
  --name "Release-1.0-Requirements" \
  --description "Approved requirements for 1.0 GA" \
  --include-types "business-req,functional-req,nfr"

# Tag specific requirements in baseline
tracertm baseline add-items "Release-1.0-Requirements" \
  --items "REQ-001,REQ-002,...,REQ-150"
```

### Baseline Use Cases

- **Release Planning**: Freeze requirements for sprint/release
- **Compliance Audits**: Demonstrate requirement state at certification time
- **Regression Analysis**: Compare current vs. baseline requirements
- **Variance Tracking**: Identify scope creep

### Comparing Baselines

```bash
# Compare two baselines
tracertm baseline compare \
  --baseline-1 "Release-1.0-Requirements" \
  --baseline-2 "Release-1.1-Requirements" \
  --show-changes

# Output shows:
# - New requirements added
# - Modified requirements
# - Removed/deprecated requirements
# - Traceability changes
```

### Version History

Track requirement evolution:

```bash
# View requirement history
tracertm item history "REQ-042"

# Output shows:
# v1: Initial draft (2024-01-15)
# v2: Added acceptance criteria (2024-01-20)
# v3: Modified priority High→Critical (2024-02-01)
# v4: Approved (2024-02-05)

# Revert to previous version
tracertm item revert "REQ-042" --version 3
```

---

## Stakeholder Collaboration Features

### Role-Based Access

Configure permissions for different stakeholders:

- **Business Analysts**: Create/edit requirements, manage traceability
- **Product Owners**: Approve requirements, prioritize backlog
- **Developers**: View requirements, link to code
- **Testers**: Create test cases, link to requirements
- **Auditors**: Read-only access to baselines and history

```bash
# Grant permissions
tracertm user add-role user@company.com \
  --role "requirements-analyst" \
  --project "mobile-app"
```

### Collaborative Review Workflows

#### Review Process
1. **Draft**: Requirement created by BA
2. **Under Review**: Assigned to stakeholders for feedback
3. **Feedback**: Comments and change requests submitted
4. **Revised**: BA incorporates feedback
5. **Approved**: Product Owner signs off

#### Comment and Feedback
```bash
# Add comment to requirement
tracertm comment add "REQ-042" \
  --text "Need clarification on error handling scenarios" \
  --mention "@developer-team"

# Request changes
tracertm item update "REQ-042" \
  --status "needs-revision" \
  --assign "business-analyst"
```

### Notifications and Alerts

Stay informed of requirement changes:

- **Email Notifications**: Requirement assigned, status changed, comments added
- **Slack Integration**: Post updates to team channels
- **Dashboards**: Real-time view of requirements status

---

## Requirements Review Workflows

### Formal Review Process

Conduct structured requirement reviews:

#### Review Checklist
- [ ] Requirement is clear and unambiguous
- [ ] Acceptance criteria are testable
- [ ] Priority is justified
- [ ] Dependencies are identified
- [ ] Traceability links are established
- [ ] Conflicts with existing requirements resolved

#### Review Meeting Workflow
1. Generate review package:
   ```bash
   tracertm report generate \
     --project "mobile-app" \
     --type "requirements-review" \
     --filter "status=under-review" \
     --output "review-package.pdf"
   ```

2. Distribute to reviewers via email or Slack

3. Conduct review meeting using web interface:
   - Present each requirement
   - Record feedback and decisions
   - Update requirement status

4. Archive review outcomes:
   ```bash
   tracertm review create \
     --project "mobile-app" \
     --name "Sprint-5-Requirements-Review" \
     --date "2024-03-15" \
     --items "REQ-101,REQ-102,...,REQ-125" \
     --outcome "approved"
   ```

### Automated Quality Checks

Run automated checks before review:

```bash
# Check for orphaned requirements
tracertm validate \
  --project "mobile-app" \
  --check "orphaned-requirements"

# Check for missing traceability
tracertm validate \
  --project "mobile-app" \
  --check "traceability-gaps"

# Check for circular dependencies
tracertm validate \
  --project "mobile-app" \
  --check "circular-dependencies"
```

---

## Integration with External Tools

### Jira Integration

Synchronize requirements with Jira:

#### Two-Way Sync Setup
```bash
# Configure Jira connection
tracertm config set jira.url "https://company.atlassian.net"
tracertm config set jira.username "integration@company.com"
tracertm config set jira.api-token "your-api-token"

# Map Jira issue types to TracerTM item types
tracertm config set jira.mapping.Epic "business-req"
tracertm config set jira.mapping.Story "functional-req"
tracertm config set jira.mapping.Task "implementation-task"
```

#### Sync Workflow
```bash
# Import Jira epics and stories
tracertm sync jira pull \
  --project "mobile-app" \
  --jira-project "MOBILE" \
  --since "2024-01-01"

# Push TracerTM requirements to Jira
tracertm sync jira push \
  --project "mobile-app" \
  --filter "type=business-req" \
  --create-as "Epic"

# Bidirectional sync
tracertm sync jira bidirectional \
  --project "mobile-app" \
  --schedule "hourly"
```

### Azure DevOps Integration

Connect with Azure DevOps work items:

```bash
# Configure Azure DevOps
tracertm config set ado.organization "myorg"
tracertm config set ado.project "MyProject"
tracertm config set ado.pat "your-personal-access-token"

# Sync requirements
tracertm sync ado pull \
  --project "enterprise-app" \
  --work-item-type "Requirement,Feature"

# Link to test cases
tracertm sync ado link-tests \
  --project "enterprise-app" \
  --auto-link true
```

### GitHub/GitLab Integration

Link requirements to code commits and PRs:

```bash
# Enable GitHub integration
tracertm config set github.repo "company/mobile-app"
tracertm config set github.token "ghp_your_token"

# Link commits to requirements via commit message
# Commit message: "Implements REQ-042: OAuth integration"
# Auto-links commit to REQ-042

# View requirement implementation status
tracertm item show "REQ-042" --show-commits
```

### Import/Export Formats

Support for multiple formats:

- **CSV**: Bulk import/export
- **Excel**: Requirements matrices
- **ReqIF**: Standards-based exchange (automotive, aerospace)
- **JSON**: API integration
- **Markdown**: Documentation generation

---

## Best Practices for Requirements Management

### 1. Establish a Requirements Taxonomy

Define consistent item types and link types:

**Item Types**:
- `business-req`: High-level business needs
- `functional-req`: Functional specifications
- `nfr`: Non-functional requirements
- `constraint`: System constraints
- `assumption`: Project assumptions

**Link Types**:
- `derives-from`: Requirement → Parent Requirement
- `satisfied-by`: Requirement → Design/Implementation
- `verified-by`: Requirement → Test Case
- `conflicts-with`: Requirement ↔ Requirement

### 2. Maintain Traceability Throughout Lifecycle

Create links as artifacts are created, not retroactively:

```bash
# When creating design, link to requirement
tracertm item create \
  --title "OAuth Design Document" \
  --type "design" \
  --satisfies "REQ-042"

# When writing test, link to requirement
tracertm item create \
  --title "Test OAuth Login Flow" \
  --type "test-case" \
  --verifies "REQ-042"
```

### 3. Use Meaningful Identifiers

Enable human-readable requirement IDs:

```bash
# Configure ID prefix per type
tracertm config set id-prefix.business-req "BR"
tracertm config set id-prefix.functional-req "FR"
tracertm config set id-prefix.nfr "NFR"

# Results in: BR-001, FR-001, NFR-001
```

### 4. Regular Traceability Audits

Schedule periodic validation:

```bash
# Weekly automated check
tracertm validate --project "mobile-app" --report-format "email"

# Monthly comprehensive audit
tracertm audit traceability \
  --project "mobile-app" \
  --check-all \
  --output "audit-report.html"
```

### 5. Baseline at Key Milestones

Create baselines for:
- Requirements review completion
- Sprint/release planning
- Design freeze
- Code freeze
- Release to production

### 6. Leverage Automation

Automate repetitive tasks:

```bash
# Auto-create test case placeholders for approved requirements
tracertm automation create \
  --trigger "requirement.status=approved" \
  --action "create-test-placeholder"

# Auto-notify on requirement changes
tracertm automation create \
  --trigger "requirement.modified" \
  --action "notify-stakeholders"
```

### 7. Prioritize Ruthlessly

Use MoSCoW or numerical prioritization:

- **Must Have**: Critical for release
- **Should Have**: Important but not critical
- **Could Have**: Nice to have if time permits
- **Won't Have**: Out of scope for this release

```bash
# Filter by priority
tracertm item list \
  --project "mobile-app" \
  --type "requirement" \
  --priority "must-have,should-have" \
  --sort-by "priority"
```

### 8. Document Rationale and Sources

Always capture why a requirement exists:

- **Source**: Who requested it (stakeholder, regulation, market research)
- **Rationale**: Business value or technical necessity
- **Constraints**: Limitations or dependencies

### 9. Review Regularly with Stakeholders

Conduct monthly requirement reviews:
- Validate assumptions are still valid
- Reassess priorities based on market changes
- Identify scope creep
- Update traceability for recent work

### 10. Measure Requirements Metrics

Track key metrics:

```bash
# Requirements volatility (changes per week)
tracertm metrics requirements-volatility --project "mobile-app"

# Traceability coverage (% requirements with tests)
tracertm metrics traceability-coverage --project "mobile-app"

# Requirements completion rate
tracertm metrics completion-rate --project "mobile-app"
```

---

## Common Workflows

### New Product Feature Workflow

1. **Capture Business Requirement**:
   - Product manager creates business-level requirement
   - Links to market research or customer feedback

2. **Decompose to Functional Requirements**:
   - Business analyst breaks down into functional specs
   - Links functional requirements to parent business requirement

3. **Create User Stories**:
   - Agile team converts functional requirements to user stories
   - Links stories to functional requirements

4. **Design and Implementation**:
   - Architects create design documents linked to requirements
   - Developers implement features, referencing requirements in commits

5. **Test Creation**:
   - QA creates test cases linked to requirements
   - Automated tests include requirement IDs in test names

6. **Verification and Closure**:
   - Tests execute and link results to requirements
   - Requirements marked as verified when all tests pass

### Compliance Audit Workflow

1. **Identify Audit Scope**:
   - Create baseline of requirements at certification time
   - Tag requirements with compliance standards (e.g., ISO 26262, DO-178C)

2. **Generate Traceability Matrix**:
   - Export full traceability from requirements to test results
   - Include verification evidence (test reports, code reviews)

3. **Provide Audit Package**:
   - Package baseline snapshot
   - Include change history since baseline
   - Demonstrate test coverage for critical requirements

4. **Address Audit Findings**:
   - Create change requests for gaps
   - Update traceability
   - Re-baseline after remediation

---

## Next Steps

- **Tutorial**: [Requirements Management Tutorial](/docs/tutorials/requirements-management)
- **API Reference**: [Requirements API](/docs/api/requirements)
- **Video**: [Requirements Traceability Walkthrough](#)
- **Template**: [Download Requirements Management Template](#)

For questions or assistance, contact your TracerTM administrator or visit our [Community Forum](#).
