TL;DR:
Mapping of: Requirements → Scenarios → Test Cases → Defects.
Requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM)
- Is a document that maps and traces user requirement with test cases. It captures all requirements proposed by the client and requirement traceability in a single document, delivered at the conclusion of the Software development life cycle.
- The main purpose of Requirement Traceability Matrix is to validate that all requirements are checked via test cases such that no functionality is unchecked during Software testing.
Why use it?
- To find any gap between requirement and test cases.
- Ensures software completely meets the customer’s requirements.
- Helps to provide proper documentation.
- Complete coverage of testing. How? We make sure that each requirement has at least 1 test case.
- Finds the root cause of the defect.
Types
- Forward (prepared before test execution). Used to map the requirements to the test cases. The main objective is to make sure all requirements are tested, AND to verify the product development is going in right direction.
- Backward/vertical (after the execution). Mapping test cases with requirements. Used to check that we are not doing the unnecessary work that are not mentioned in business needs.
- Bidirectional
Example
