REQUIREMENT MANAGEMENT REPORTS

Some examples of requirements management reports are below. When identifying requirements management information needs for your project, provide an example of suggested reports.  This will help you get better feedback on what kinds on information to keep in the requirements repository. Reports are based on the information associated with the requirements. (Requirement text can be omitted from some reports, but is included in the examples for clarity.)

• Backward trace: a traceability report showing the origin of an item. This can be used to determine if unnecessary items are being created (goldplating) that are not warranted by the requirements or to discover the reason for an item.
• Compliance matrix: a report showing the requirements that have been satisfied by a work product or activity.

• Forward trace: a traceability report showing items that would be affected by a requirements change, such as the impact on a design, documents, and/or software.

• Priority: a report of requirements by priority. This report may be used to determine what requirements must be implemented before others. It is also useful when time to build is inadequate or funding is limited.

• Qualification method: a report of requirements by qualification method (inspection, analysis, demonstration, test).  This report provides requirements that testers or others must address.

• Requirements validation matrix: a report of requirements and the test cases associated with them. The report can be used to track test case development and approval and can be included in the master test plan.

• Risk: a report of requirements by risk level. This report may be used to determine what requirements are most critical to test completely or to assist in planning when time to test is inadequate.

• Unsatisfied/unallocated requirements: a report of requirements that are unaddressed or unassigned. This report may accompany a compliance matrix and is a quality check to ensure no requirement has been dropped.