Requirement traceability matrix (RTM)

Requirement traceability matrix (RTM) in simple words is a document containing the requirements mapped with the test cases/scripts covering that particular requirement. it is one of the most important document created during a project life cycle and is very important in software testing activities. Going further RTM can contain more details like name and brief detail about the requirement, details of test case/script document which contains the test case(s)/script(s) handling the requirement, priority & severity of the requirement and also the verification status of the requirement (whether the test cases have been executed OR not) along with the status of requirement (Pass/Fail – requirement is catered in the software system and in fully functional without any bug). These details are not mandatory but definitely adds value to the RTM document as it provides complete picture about a particular requirement.

Creating RTM – there are 100’s and 1000’s of template available on the internet. Just pick one of them OR create your own. In a very simple way , you just need to create a table containing requirement ID (As mentioned in the SRS/FRS/Requirement Specification document) and test case ID of the test case in which this requirement is being tested. In addition to this we can provide other fields as mentioned above. Also we can create a single RTM document for both unit and functional/system test cases

Benefits – RTM is very beneficial in software testing as it –
- Track all requirements and whether or not they are being met by the test.
- Help ensure that all system requirements have been met during the Verification process.
- Above all it’s a very good tool from management and testers perspective as well. For testers , it serves the benefit of knowing how many requirements are covered and from management’s perspective it’s a tool from which they can gather all the required information pertaining to a particular requirement.