5.4Requirement Coverage and Traceability

What Is Requirement Traceability?

Requirement traceability maps each requirement to the test cases that verify it, creating a traceable chain:

Requirement → Test Case(s) → Test Results → Defects (if any)

The Traceability Matrix

Requirement ID	Requirement	Test Cases	Status	Defects
REQ-001	User can register with email and password	TC-001, TC-002, TC-003	PASS	None
REQ-002	User receives confirmation email	TC-004, TC-005	PASS	None
REQ-003	Password must meet complexity requirements	TC-006, TC-007, TC-008, TC-009	FAIL	BUG-234
REQ-004	User can log in with registered credentials	TC-010, TC-011	PASS	None
REQ-005	Session expires after 30 minutes of inactivity	TC-012	NOT RUN	N/A

What the Matrix Reveals

• REQ-003 has a failing test -- the password complexity validation has a bug
• REQ-005 has not been tested -- either the test was blocked or deprioritized
• REQ-001 has 3 test cases -- reasonable coverage for a core feature
• All requirements have at least one test -- no requirement is untested (except REQ-005)

Requirement Coverage Formula

Requirement Coverage = (Requirements with at least one passing test / Total requirements) x 100

In the example above: 3 out of 5 requirements fully pass = 60% requirement coverage.