{"id":66304,"date":"2021-03-15T16:05:34","date_gmt":"2021-03-15T23:05:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jamasoftware.com\/?p=66304"},"modified":"2023-01-12T16:49:25","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T00:49:25","slug":"what-is-traceability","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jamasoftware.com\/legacy\/blog\/what-is-traceability\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Traceability?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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What is traceability? In this blog, learn its definition and why it is crucial for product teams.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

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Product complexity is growing at an exponential rate. As it does, requirements move between more and more departments and stakeholders throughout the course of the development process. Requirements traceability helps product teams overcome one of the biggest challenges they face with requirements management<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The number of decision points is higher than it\u2019s ever been. Each decision needs to be made understanding the impact on the requirement itself and on the product overall. It is essential to maintain visibility into the activity taking place and to be able to tie it all together.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where requirements traceability comes in. What follows is a look at the definition of requirements traceability, as well as its purpose, importance, and benefits. You\u2019ll also find its common challenges, along with a few ideas to help you start overcoming those obstacles today.<\/p>\n

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The Definition<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Traceability (or requirements traceability) is the tracking of requirements throughout the product development lifecycle. It is a documented thread that provides forward and backward visibility into all activity surrounding each requirement (including design, development, testing, and support). Requirements traceability helps minimize the risk of negative outcomes and maximize productivity. Its benefits include greater team efficiency, easier regulatory compliance, and higher-quality products.<\/p>\n

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What’s its Purpose and Importance?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Traceability enables product teams to associate a specific requirement with all the related project artifacts, as well as other requirements, both forward and backward, so that anyone can see how the activity relates to the requirement\u2014and vice versa\u2014at any point during development. This functionality, also called live traceability, fosters team collaboration and enables early detection of possible production risks.<\/p>\n

Think of it this way: How important is it to have your products developed correctly in terms of definition, quality, and timing? Mission critical, right? That\u2019s why requirements traceability is so critical.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at some of the\u00a0benefits of requirements traceability<\/a> throughout the product development lifecycle. For example:<\/p>\n