Authoring requirements

A requirement in traceunified is a controlled record, not a line in a document. Authoring one means creating that record and editing it under the controls that keep it trustworthy.

Creating a requirement

Add a new requirement from the Requirements module. It’s created with an identifier and the fields its item type defines, and its version history begins from the moment it exists. From there you fill in its content and connect it to the rest of the thread.

The description editor

The body of a requirement is written in a rich-text editor, so you can structure the text, add emphasis, and insert links and images where they help — useful for diagrams, referenced figures, or pointers to related material. The result is a readable, self-contained statement of the requirement rather than a bare string of text.

Editing under control

Editing a controlled record is deliberate. When the record is in a controlled state, you’re asked to supply a reason for change — a short justification that becomes part of the record’s history. Whether a reason is requested depends on the record’s workflow state and, for architecture elements, its metaclass. This is what gives the audit trail its meaning: every meaningful change carries who made it, when, and why.

Edit locks

So two people don’t unknowingly overwrite each other, a record is locked to one editor while it’s being changed. If someone else holds the lock, you’ll see that the item is being edited and can pick it up once it’s released. You can review the records you currently hold locks on from My Locked Items in your account menu.

Locks, freezes, and baselines

Three different things can make a record read-only, and they are not the same:

• Controlled-state lock — a record in a controlled state (typically Approved) is locked against casual edits by its workflow. This follows the record’s state; it is not a separate action someone takes.
• Explicit freeze — a record can be frozen deliberately, as its own action, independent of its workflow state.
• Baseline or release lock — a record captured in a baseline or tied to a release is protected by that baseline or release, according to how it is configured.

In each case the point is the same: what was reviewed and signed stays intact. To change a controlled requirement, you create a new version (see Versions & history), keeping the original intact.