Configure relationships & trace rules

Define the link types and rules that govern traceability — give each link a direction and meaning, restrict which record types may connect, and confirm the thread holds end to end.

Traceability is only as sound as the relationship types behind it — every link in the trace thread is an instance of a type you define here. This guide configures those types and the rules that keep the thread valid, then confirms the whole thing works end to end. It assumes your record types already exist; if not, start with Configure item types, fields & workflows. For the concepts, see Relationships.

Map your trace strategy

Before you create link types, decide what should connect to what — a requirement verified by a test, mitigated by a risk, satisfied by an architecture element. A short map of the links your process actually depends on is the difference between traceability that proves something and a tangle of associations that prove nothing.

Define a relationship type

A relationship type is a kind of link with a direction and a meaning. Name both sides so the link reads correctly whichever end you start from.

Before you start Open Administration and go to Relationships. You'll need administrator access.

Create a new relationship type.
Name its upstream and downstream sides so the link has a clear direction — a requirement is verified by a test; the test verifies the requirement.
Make the type bidirectional where it should read correctly and be navigable from either end.
Save the type.

Result A directional link type whose meaning is explicit — you can tell what a link means, not just that two records are connected. See Relationships.

Set the rules for which types may link

Rules decide which item types may participate in each relationship — the guardrails that keep the thread valid.

For the relationship type, set the rules for which item types may sit on the upstream and downstream sides — for example, allow a verifies link between a test and a requirement.
Disallow combinations that wouldn't make sense, so people can't create links between unrelated types.
Repeat for each relationship type, so every connection your projects can make is one you intended.

Result People can only create links that make sense, which keeps the trace data from filling with meaningless or contradictory connections.

Confirm the thread holds end to end

Configuration is only proven when a real link behaves the way you expect across the trace tools.

Before you start Have a project with a few records of the types you configured.

Create a link between two records using your new type — see Creating links.
Open the trace matrix and confirm the link appears where you expect.
Check Coverage to see the link counted toward what's verified or covered.
Change an upstream record and confirm the downstream items flag as suspect, prompting re-verification.

Result A trace thread that's navigable, measurable, and self-flagging when something upstream changes.

Note Relationship rules are a control, not a convenience — they're what stop the trace from filling with contradictory links over time. Set them deliberately. Loosening a rule later is easy; tightening one after bad data already exists is not.

Where to go next

The user-facing side — building and maintaining the thread, reading the matrix, following links — lives in the Traceability section. To see how a proposed change ripples through everything linked to it, see Impact analysis.