Item types & fields

Every requirement follows the structure of its item type — the definition of which fields it has, what kind of data each holds, and the order they appear in. Item types are configured in Administration, so the structure of a requirement matches your organization’s process rather than a fixed template.

Item types

An item type is the blueprint for a kind of record. The Requirements module may use one or several item types — for example to distinguish user needs from system requirements — each with its own fields and behavior. Defining item types is covered in the Administration section; here, the point is that what you see on a requirement is driven by its type.

Core and custom fields

Each item type combines core fields — the built-in fields every item carries, such as its identifier, title, and state — with custom fields your organization adds to capture exactly the information your process requires. Core fields are fixed; custom fields are yours to define.

Field data types

Fields are strongly typed, so each holds the right kind of data and is edited with the right control. Available types include:

• Text and rich text — short identifiers and titles, or formatted longer content
• Number — integer and numeric values
• Boolean — yes/no flags, edited as a checkbox
• Date — calendar dates
• Picklist — a value chosen from a managed list (see picklists below)
• User — a person, chosen with a user picker
• URL — a validated web link
• Auto-number — an identifier the system assigns automatically

Picklists

Picklist fields draw their options from managed picklists defined in Administration. Centralizing the allowed values keeps data consistent across every record and avoids free-text drift — so a field like priority or category always uses the same controlled vocabulary.

Every field, in order

A requirement renders the fields defined on its item type, in the order an administrator arranged them. Whether a given field is visible to you can depend on the visibility and permission rules an administrator has configured — for example, a field that only appears in certain states, or only to certain roles. Those rules are explicit and admin-controlled rather than guesswork.