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The requirement traceability matrix helps the project to do everything to complete the requirement within the aspire duration. This is a step-by-step process which helps us to identify the requirements and the products that are required to be tested successfully. It makes it very convenient to determine project timelines and direction.
It will support the identification of a complete list of requirements in a project. It will also help to validate that there is the courage of all the requirements throughout the project’s lifetime.
The RTM will reflect the requirement of courage in terms of the number of cases, design status and execution status. It will also help to show the UAT status for a specific test case. With this already available information team can easily analyze the changes in requirements and can make an informed product development decision.
It helps the team to identify and resolve the problem before they become a problem because traceability link artefacts across the development lifecycle. It can help to avoid the pressure of an audit and even if the team have been audited RTM will make it easier for the team to demonstrate that we have complied with the regulation which means we can avoid unnecessary additional expenses.
We can also use it to track requirements from compliance regulations in the compliance matrix.
It will also give us an idea to understand what we need to develop and test before work has been completed.
Advantages of RTM –
Modification is easier and more effective – It is very obvious in a project to undergo modification at some point, RTM will help us to trace these shifts and how they will impact every phase of the project.
Documentation – A traceability matrix can help in the effort to provide proper documentation for your team, from the test case to wireframes to user stories a traceability matrix allows us to check if the requirement is fully documented.
Defect Handling – It is very important for us to tackle the most relevant issues first. A traceability matrix can aid us in filtering defects linked to crucial requirements.
It becomes very difficult for the teams to get to know about the current status of the requirement as to what phase the requirement is for the further process, and this is where Requirement Traceability Matrix comes into the picture.
To understand the purpose of the Requirement Traceability Matrix let us understand what it is by breaking it word by word.
The requirement is the need of a User, Traceability is the ability to capture or trace, and Matrix is the rows and columns in the form of a table to store data.
In simple words, the Requirement Traceability Matrix or RTM (commonly used abbreviation) is the Table which has the requirements in the form of a table to trace through the Software Development Life Cycle phases, but it is Mostly used in the Testing phase.
The Requirement Traceability Matrix is created by the Business Analyst in the requirement analysis phase of the software development life cycle. It contains all the requirements given reviewed and approved by the client in a table format.
The purpose of the Requirement Traceability Matrix is as follows:
For Meeting Goals:
Well-done traceability indicates the life of a requirement in the Software development Life cycle. It begins at the time a requirement is gathered and it continues throughout the completion of the requirement. So, it makes sure that your requirements suffice the original goals and complete the requirements as desired.
For Managing Projects:
The Requirement Traceability Matrix is also used for managing projects. We will know the exact progress and we will be able to manage the scope of the requirements. The requirement traceability matrix also gives us complete visibility of the requirements across the Software development life cycle.
For Tracking the Requirement:
We can easily track the requirements for the current status of the Development. It also allows us to identify missing requirements easily. Easy access for the stakeholders for updates.
For Testing:
One of the Major and important purposes of RTM is Testing. Using RTM for testing focuses on effective test execution and provides the status of the defects in detail as it includes all the requirements in detail with all the parameters and the test cases derived from the requirements considering those parameters. It allows complete 100% test coverage which ultimately leads to improving the quality of the delivery.
