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Requirements

The requirements module provides a structured, model-based environment for defining, organizing, and verifying product requirements. Requirements are grouped into sets, support hierarchical relationships, and include built-in verification tracking.

Key Capabilities

  • Requirement sets — group related requirements under a named set tied to a project
  • Hierarchical structure — requirements can have sub-requirements (parent-child relationships)
  • Derived requirements — link requirements that are derived from higher-level requirements
  • Superseding — mark a requirement as superseded by a newer one
  • Obligation levels — classify requirements as "Shall" (mandatory) or "Should" (recommended)
  • Requirement types — categorize by type following SEBoK taxonomy (Functional, Performance, Interface, Safety, etc.)
  • Verification tracking — define verification class, method, and results for each requirement
  • Quality assurance — assign a reviewer for each requirement
  • Tags — categorize with project tags for filtering

Requirement Sets

A requirement set is a named collection of requirements belonging to a project. Use sets to organize requirements by subsystem, specification document, or any grouping that fits your workflow.

To create a requirement set:

  1. Navigate to Requirements in the sidebar
  2. Click New requirement set
  3. Enter a name and description
  4. Select the project
  5. Submit

Creating Requirements

Within a requirement set, add requirements individually:

  1. Open the requirement set
  2. Click Add requirement
  3. Fill in the fields:
  4. Statement — the actual requirement text (e.g., "The system shall operate at temperatures between -20 C and +60 C")
  5. Obligation level — "Shall" or "Should"
  6. Type — Functional, Performance, Interface, Safety, etc.
  7. Rationale — why this requirement exists
  8. Submit

Sub-requirements

To create a child requirement, set the parent requirement when creating or editing. Sub-requirements appear nested under their parent in the requirement set view.

Derived Requirements

Link a requirement to the higher-level requirement(s) it was derived from. This creates a traceability chain from top-level system requirements down to detailed component requirements.

Superseding

When a requirement is replaced by a newer version, mark it as superseded by the new requirement. The original remains in the set for historical reference but is visually marked as superseded.

Verification

Each requirement has built-in verification fields:

  • Verification class — how the requirement will be verified, following SEBoK categories:
    • Inspection
    • Analysis
    • Analogy or Similarity
    • Demonstration
    • Test
    • Sampling
  • Verification method — detailed description of the verification approach
  • Verification results — document what was observed or measured
  • Verified — boolean flag marking the requirement as verified
  • Verified by — the person who performed the verification

Tip

Use the verification fields to build a complete verification matrix. Each requirement's verification status is visible at a glance in the requirement set table.

Requirement States

Requirements have a state field that tracks their lifecycle. Combined with the quality assurance reviewer assignment, this supports a review workflow where requirements are drafted, reviewed, and approved.

Traceability

The combination of hierarchical, derived, and superseding relationships creates a traceable web of requirements. This is useful for:

  • Impact analysis — when a requirement changes, follow the derived chain to see what else is affected
  • Coverage — verify that all top-level requirements have been decomposed into verifiable lower-level requirements
  • Audits — demonstrate that every requirement has a rationale, verification method, and result