Book a Demo

Please note : This help page is not for the latest version of Enterprise Architect. The latest help can be found here.

Prev Next

Trace Use of Requirements

Having investigated the representation of Requirements in your model, you could review either how they have been used to direct development through the model, or how a particular development was initiated. The windows and facilities you might use to follow development from Requirements are briefly described here; detailed information is also available in the Traceability topics.

The significant feature in tracing Requirements and development is the connectors between the elements.

Facilities

Facility

Detail

See also

Relationships Window

Using the Relationships window, you can quickly identify every relationship of which a selected Requirement element is a member and the partner element in that relationship, whether or not the relationship is visible in the current diagram. If the partner element is not in the diagram, you have the option of adding it.

The Relationships Window

Traceability Window

The Traceability window is a very useful tool in showing chains of relationships that include the selected element. The window can show, for example, that:

  • Requirement A is realized by a Use Case X, and
  • Use Case X also realizes Requirement B, and
  • Requirement B in turn is also realized by Use Case Y

You can control the type and extent of these relationship chains. As the system checks the connectors and partner elements of every relationship within the limits you impose, if you specify broader limits the system can take some time to produce the final results.

The Traceability Window

Relationship Matrix

The Relationship Matrix is a significant tool in mapping the relationships between the Requirements elements in a Package and other elements in either that Package or a different Package. Where a relationship is missing, you can add it; if an existing relationship is misplaced, you can delete it.

Relationship Matrix

Requirements tab, Properties dialog

On the 'Properties' dialog for elements other than Requirements - particularly Use Cases - the 'Requirements' tab shows all internal requirements of the element (and, where an internal requirement has been converted to an external Requirement element, that element).

Properties Dialog Requirements

Responsibilities Window

The Responsibilities window - as for the 'Properties' dialog - shows the internal requirements of the selected element, and the scenarios and constraints under which the requirements are being realized.

Responsibilities

Validation

It is useful to review the way that you have modeled your requirements, to check that they are correctly set up and connected to other elements. The Validation facility has a number of configuration options for validating various aspects of model development, as well as an option for specifically validating Requirements Management. This can reveal, for example, which of your Requirement elements do not yet have a Realization connector.

Model Validation

Learn more