Requirements Traceability
Purpose
Ensure bidirectional traceability between requirements, hazards/risks, design, code, tests, and anomalies for medical device software.
When to Apply
- •All lifecycle phases; especially during changes and release preparation.
Requirements (testable)
- •ID Schema: Use stable IDs for requirements (
REQ-###), hazards (HZ-###), risks/controls (RISK-CTRL-###), design (DES-###), tests (TEST-###), and anomalies (ANOM-###). Rationale: unambiguous linkage. - •Bidirectionality: Maintain trace both forward (REQ->DES->CODE->TEST) and backward (TEST->REQ). Rationale: completeness and impact analysis.
- •Automation: Generate traceability matrices from managed artifacts (reqs tool + code tags + test metadata). Rationale: reduce drift.
- •Change Impact: For each change, update trace links and assess affected items/tests. Rationale: controlled updates.
- •Evidence Storage: Store trace outputs as release artifacts; version them with builds. Rationale: auditability.
Recommended Practices
- •Keep a
traceability.yamlor use ALM exports to CSV/HTML for submissions. - •Include trace tags in code comments and test names.
- •Integrate trace checks in CI (e.g., missing links).
Patterns
Traceability entry (YAML):
yaml
# REQ-TRC-01 REQ-62304-102: design: [DES-PUMP-01] code: [pump_stop_on_door_open] tests: [TEST-410, TEST-411] hazards: [HZ-07] risks: [RISK-CTRL-19]
CI check (concept):
text
Validate: every TEST-* references a REQ-*; fail build on missing link.
Anti-Patterns (risks)
- •Trace only in one direction -> risk: missing coverage.
- •Manual spreadsheets without automation -> risk: drift and errors.
- •Unlabeled code/tests -> risk: broken trace in audits.
- •Trace outputs not baselined -> risk: mismatch to released build.
Verification Checklist
- • IDs consistent and present across artifacts.
- • Forward/backward traces maintained; gaps resolved.
- • Trace matrices generated automatically and stored per release.
- • Change impact updates traces and triggers required tests.
- • CI checks for missing/invalid links in code/tests.
Traceability
- •Central
traceability.yaml/tool export; code/test tags; release-stored matrices.
References
- •IEC 62304 traceability (5.1–5.6).
- •ISO 14971 for hazard-to-control linkage.
- •FDA/MDR submission expectations for trace matrices.
Changelog
- •1.0.0 (2026-01-04): Initial traceability skill with IDs, automation, and CI checks.
Audit History
- •2026-01-04: Audit performed. Verified:
- •IEC 62304 traceability (5.1-5.6) references accurate
- •ISO 14971 hazard-to-control linkage correctly noted
- •FDA/MDR trace matrix expectations appropriate