Skip to main content
Log in

Requirements traceability: Theory and practice

  • Published:
Annals of Software Engineering

Abstract

Current literature as well as standards that mandate requirements traceability do not provide a comprehensive model of what information should be captured and used as a part of a traceability scheme, leading to wide variation in the quality and usefulness of traceability practice across systems development efforts. In this paper, we present a framework for representing and developing a traceability scheme. The experiences of an organization using traceability as an important component of a quality software engineering process are discussed. Models describing the traceability practice in the organization, as well as issues and lessons learned, both from organizational and technical perspectives, from implementing a comprehensive traceability practice are presented.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alford, M. (1991), “Strengthening the Systems Engineering Process,” In Proceedings of NCOSE, San Jose, CA.

  • Baldo, J. (1990), “Reuse in Practice Workshop Summery,” IDA.

  • Brown, B.J. (1987), “Assurance of Software Quality,” In SEI Curriculum Model SEI-CM-7-1.1 (Preliminary), Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute.

  • Conklin, J. and M. Begeman (1988), “gIBIS: A Hypertext Tool for Exploratory Policy Discussion,” ACM Transactions on Office Information Systems 6, 303–331.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cordes, D.W. and D.L. Carver (1989), “Evaluation for User Requirements Documents,” Information and Software Technology 34, 4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Curtis, B., H. Kransner, and N. Iscoe (1988), “A Field Study of the Software Design Process for Large Systems,” Communications of the ACM 31, 1268–1287.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DoD (1988), “Defense System Software Development,” DoD-STD-2167A.

  • Dorfman, M. and R.F. Flynn (1984), “Arts-An Automated Requirements Specification and Traceability System,” Journal of Systems and Software 4.

  • Edwards, M. and S. Howell (1992), “A Methodology for Requirements Specification and Traceability for Large Real-Time Complex Systems,” Technical Report, Naval Surface Warfare Center.

  • Fiksel, J.D. (1994), “New Requirements Management Software Supports Concurrent Engineering,” In CimFlex Teknowledge Corporation, Washington, DC.

  • Gathman, T. and D. Halker (1990), Towards a Manageable Solution to the Iterative Development of Embedded Knowledge-Based Systems, Rockwell International Corporation.

  • Gotel, O. and A. Finkelstein (1994), “An analysis of the requirements traceability problem,” In Proceedings of the First International Conference on Requirements Engineering, Colorado Springs,CO.

  • Greenspan, S.J. and C.L. McGowan (1978), “Structuring Software Development for Reliability,” Microelectronics and Reliability 17.

  • Hamilton, V.L. and M.L. Beeby (1991), “Issues of Traceability in Integrating Tools,” In Proceedings of the Colloquium by the Institution of Electrical Engineers Professional Group C1 (Software Engineering), London.

  • IEEE (1984), “IEEE Guide to Software Requirements Specifications,” ANSI/IEEE Standard 830-1984, New York, USA.

  • Jackson, J. (1991), “A Keyphrase Based Traceability Scheme,” In Proceedings of the Colloquium by the Institution of Electrical Engineers Professional Group C1 (Software Engineering), London.

  • Jarke, M., J. Bubenko, C. Rolland, A. Sutcliff, and Y. Vassiliou (1993), “Theories Underlying Requirements Engineering: An Overview of NATURE at Genesis,” In Proceedings of the First IEEE International Symposium on Requirements Engineering, pp. 19–31.

  • Jarke, M. and K. Pohl (1993), “Establishing Visions in Context: Toward a Model of Requirements Engineering,” In 14th International Conference on Information Systems.

  • Keuffel, W. (1990), “Extra Time Saves Extra Money,” Computer Language.

  • Lee, J. (1990), “SIBYL: A qualitative decision management system,” In Artificial Intelligence at MIT: Expanding Frontiers, P. Winston and S. Shellard, Eds., MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp. 106–133.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maclean, A., R. Young, V. Bellotti, and T.P. Moran (1991), “Questions, Options, and Criteria: Elements of Design Space Analysis,” Human Computer Interaction 6, 201–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macmillan, J. and J.R. Vosburgh (1986), Software Quality Indicators, Scientific Systems.

  • Marconi Systems Technology (1991), RTM Requirements and Traceability Management (Product Overview), Arlington, VA.

  • McCausland, C.D. (1991), “A Case Study in Traceability,” In Proceedings of the Colloquium by the Institution of Electronic Engineers Professional Group C1 (Software Engineering), London.

  • Murine, G. (1986), “Secure Software's Impact on Reliability,” Computers and Security 5.

  • Pinheiro, F.A.C. and J. Goguen (1996), “An Object-Oriented Tool for Tracing Requirements,” IEEE Software, 52–64.

  • Pohl, K. and S. Jacobs (1994), “PRO-ART: PROcess based Approach to Requirements Traceability,” NATURE Report Series 94-07, RWTH Aachen, Germany.

    Google Scholar 

  • QSS Ltd (1995), Dynamic Object Oriented Requirements System, Reference Manual, version 2.1, Oxford.

  • Ramesh, B. and V. Dhar (1992), “Supporting Systems Development by Capturing Deliberations During Requirements Engineering,” IEEE Transactions On Software Engineering 18, 498–510.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ramesh, B., T. Powers, C. Stubbs, and M. Edwards (1995), “Implementing Requirements Traceability,” In Proceedings of the IEEE International Symposium on Requirements Engineering, York, UK, pp. 89–95.

  • Roetzheim, W.H. (1991), Developing Software to Government Standards, Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneidewind, N. (1982), “Software Maintenance,” Technical Report, Naval Postgraduate School.

  • Smithers, R., M.X. Tang, and N. Tomes (1991), “The Maintenance of Design History in AI-based Design,” In Proceedings of the Colloquium by the Institution of Electrical Engineers Professional Group C1 (Software Engineers), London.

  • Stehle, G. (1990), “Requirements Traceability for Real Time Systems,” In Proceedings of EuroCASE II, London.

  • TD Technologies (1996), SLATE User Manual, Dallas, TX.

  • West, M. (1991), “The Use of Quality Function Deployment in Software Development,” In Proceedings of the Colloquium by the Institution of Electrical Engineers Professional Group C1 (Software Engineering), London.

  • Wright, S. (1991), “Requirements Traceability — What? Why? and How?,” In Proceedings of the Colloquium by the Institution of Electrical Engineers Professional Group C1 (Software Engineering), London.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ramesh, B., Stubbs, C., Powers, T. et al. Requirements traceability: Theory and practice. Annals of Software Engineering 3, 397–415 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018969401055

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1018969401055

Keywords

Navigation