About Traceability

Requirements traceability is the process of linking a variety of requirements records and related artifacts, such as test cases. The traceability structure for a project may run into many hundreds of line items. While requirements traceability matrices (RTMs) may be built using tools such as Microsoft Excel, most projects accomplish the task by using an automated requirements management tool, such as Jama, Jira, Microfocus (formerly Hewlett Packard) Application Life Cycle Management, or IBM Doors.

In the federally-regulated world of health and human services system modernization, RTM deliverables are required by federal auditors. The RTM files demonstrate the extent to which the original contractual requirements for the project were successfully implemented, as shown by system, system integration (SIT), and user acceptance (UAT) test cases, test results, and open defects at the time of auditor review.

In a typical health and human services modernization project, the Excel-like structure of an RTM will include the following:

• Applicable government regulatory requirements
• Request for Proposal (RFP) requirements
• Other contractual requirements
• Statement of Work (SoW) requirements
• Approved business requirements
• Approved functional requirements
• Approved nonfunctional requirements
• System / System Integration test cases
• System / System Integration test results and defects
• User Acceptance Testing (UAT) test cases
• UAT test results and defects

Charles Goolsby has developed many complex RTMs in support of Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) certification.

 Read the section on requirements elicitation, and the section the requirements life cycle, for more information.