Implementation of Requirements Traceability in Systems Engineering Tools

This paper discusses how requirements should be managed in systems engineering tools. The hypothesis is that the use of a requirements-driven integrated product and process modelling concept will facilitate requirements management in general and requirements traceability in particular. The hypothesis is tested in a case study based on a car cockpit, using a commercial Systems Engineering (SE) tool for implementation. The main findings of the case study are that the product model supports conceptual design and that good support for qualitative requirements traceability can be attained. However, quantitative traceability is more difficult. The case study further shows the limitations of current SE tools with regards to image and geometry management. These limitations are particularly problematic in mechanical design