Top 5 Things To Track And Trace For A Successful Implementation

During software development, monitoring the testing process is essential. Project managers and testing team leaders need to be able to track and trace the development to ensure that they keep up with KPIs (key performance indicators) and to help understand the quality of the product that is being developed.

Requirements traceability is a way to trace work items across the development life cycle. You can pinpoint issues and defects to understand their cause. In software engineering, traceability allows you to keep track of everything going on in the project.

5 Things To Track And Trace For A Successful Project

There can be a lot of things going on during the development phase. Software projects are often complex, with many moving parts. To keep up with testing and traceability, you should always track certain aspects to get high-quality software.

Bugs/ Defects

When looking at requirements traceability and quality management, being aware of bugs and defects in the system is critical. Having a bug in the system will result in an unsuccessful project – the software might not work if some bug isn’t fixed.

During the tracking and tracing process, you define and layout all project requirements. These different requirements then need to be followed, monitored, and tested in order to find defects occurring around them.

The different requirements of a project need to be tested for bugs. If any defects in the software appear, then tracing their source is necessary for fixing them. Being able to find these bugs and track them is a critical part of the testing phase.

Code Quality

Tracing code to requirements is another key process during software testing. Simply put, a product or version update cannot perform with incorrect code. This is why you need to do a code trace for each requirement in order to ensure quality.

This involves a method of simulating the execution of the code to manually verify that it works as it should in accordance with the relevant requirement. This should be done with each section of code for different requirements to make sure that each part of the software is in working order.

Developing software to the end without running traceability on code requirements can cause a big mess. It will be difficult to pinpoint areas where the coding went wrong. This is why a manual verification process during development is important.

Requirements

Any project needs to be broken down into a setlist of requirements. These are the different steps or processes that will make up the successful end goal of the project. Once requirements have been selected and approved, their traceability is important.

Requirements traceability is about putting each requirement through a test and validation process. This makes sure that the project actually meets those requirements, and that the requirements function in line with their initial goals.

The process here is achieved through running test cases. If test cases fail, then you will record a defect. Then, the defective requirements get sent back to the developer to fix. They will fix and check the source code to ensure that it performs the expected function. Traceability links allow the developer and tester to see exactly where they need to run tests on the source code.

The defect found is linked to the test results. The results then link to a test case, which links to the requirement. It is critical to implement and verify all requirements for the successful delivery of a project. Thus, tracking and tracing requirements are key areas for project managers to focus on.

Project Progress

Tracking and traceability in projects are not only about finding defects and fixing bugs but about monitoring the progress of a project. When developing software, there is usually a fixed time frame. Time constraints, along with other factors, can hinder the progress of a project. This is where traceability can come in useful to help track the progress of a project.

KPIs need to be met during development and testing. Requirements traceability is a process that can help to measure KPIs and ensure that they are being delivered in line with each specific requirement. Being able to manage and track the progress of a project can help to find areas where defects are occurring.

Traceability allows you to track what’s going on in the lifecycle of a project, and see what has happened during different stages. This gives you an overarching view of the entire project and its progression toward its goals.

Individual Deliverables

During project management, deliverables are features, products, or services that have been created to achieve the project objective. Individual deliverables are about setting the expectation from a project – basically providing something to fulfill the end goal.

A key area of project management is defining the individual deliverables, understanding their place in the project, and making sure that they are being executed and delivered. The process of traceability can add plenty of value here.

It’s important to track and test individual deliverables to make sure that each requirement of the project is being properly fulfilled. You should trace each deliverable to see its progress and to make sure that it works properly within the framework of the project.

Individual deliverables that aren’t working in line with the product, or that show defects, can be found through the testing process. These deliverables can then be sent back to the developer for fixing.

Final Thoughts

Traceability in testing is what will result in a software product that works with complete success. This is an essential part of the process as tracking will make the testing process much more efficient and effective. When running software tests, there are a couple of important aspects to always track and trace including the ones listed above.

With so many different working parts in software, you need to know that each one is running smoothly. Rigorous testing is important here, but it is best achieved by implementing tracking and requirements tracing.