Pace Tech – IMPULS3

Requirements Management

IMPULS3 Requirements Management process RE Information Elements Requirements Management applies to the Information Elements created throughout Requirements Engineering and to the relationships between them. These include Stakeholders, Stakeholder Needs, Analysis Statements, Requirements, review information and other RE records. Explore the information model → Transformation Engine Requirements Management does not transform the engineering content. It creates and maintains the management metadata around Information Elements and their relationships according to agreed rules for identification, status, versioning and configuration control. Explore the information model → Requirements Management Activities Activities keep Requirements Engineering information controlled and trustworthy over time. They include Change Management, Configuration Management, version control, status accounting, traceability maintenance and related management activities. Explore the process → Tools & Techniques Software tools support Requirements Management by providing capabilities for Configuration Management, Change Management, version control, baselining, traceability, status accounting, access control and impact analysis. Explore tools & techniques → IMPULS3 Principles Requirements Management follows a set of IMPULS3 principles for maintaining identity, traceability and configuration integrity. Information Elements remain identifiable, changes are explicit, Baselines are immutable snapshots, and controlled relationships preserve the coherence of the RE information model over time. Explore the principles → Configuration Integrity Information Elements and their relationships under Configuration Management carry the required management metadata. Their identity, version, status and relationships are controlled, making the integrity and consistency of the RE information configuration demonstrable. Explore configuration integrity →

Requirements Engineering · Requirements Management

Process

Requirements Management keeps Requirements Engineering information controlled and trustworthy as it evolves. Its purpose is not to change the engineering content, but to preserve the identity, status, traceability, consistency and integrity of the Configuration Items that constitute the RE information model.

IMPULS3 definition. Requirements Management is the systematic control of Requirements Engineering Configuration Items and their relationships throughout their lifecycle, ensuring that their identity, metadata, status, versions, changes and configuration integrity remain known and controlled.
Process / activity Configuration Item IMPULS3 principle Controlled configuration

Requirements Management operates across the RE information created during Elicitation, Analysis, Specification and Requirements V&V. Information Elements and their relationships that require formal control are treated as Configuration Items (CIs). Management metadata is associated with these CIs so that their identity and configuration state can be determined at any point in time.

This creates an important process boundary: Requirements Management manages the configuration of engineering information; it does not redefine its engineering meaning. A content change is therefore initiated and controlled through Requirements Management, while the appropriate RE process determines the new or revised engineering content.

Input–Process–Output overview

Input

RE Information Elements

  • Stakeholders and Stakeholder Needs
  • Analysis Statements
  • Requirements
  • Review and V&V information
  • Relations between Information Elements
  • Proposed changes
Process

Maintain configuration control

  • Establish configuration control
  • Maintain configuration status
  • Control change
  • Establish Baselines
Output

Controlled RE configuration

  • Identified Configuration Items
  • Known version and status
  • Controlled relationships
  • Recorded change history
  • Established Baselines
  • Demonstrable configuration integrity

Core activities

1 Establish configuration control

Identify the Information Elements and relationships that are to be controlled as Configuration Items. Assign the required identity and management metadata so that each CI can be uniquely recognised and managed throughout its lifecycle.

2 Maintain configuration status

Maintain the current version, status and relevant metadata of each Configuration Item and preserve the controlled relationships between CIs. The current configuration state must remain identifiable and internally consistent.

3 Control change

Register proposed changes, determine which Configuration Items and relationships may be affected, record the decision and rationale, and ensure that approved changes are introduced in a controlled and traceable manner.

4 Establish Baselines

Establish an immutable snapshot of an identified and coherent set of Configuration Items and their relationships at a defined point in time. Subsequent evolution is managed through new controlled versions and, where appropriate, new Baselines.

Process boundary: what does Requirements Management manage?

Requirements Management controls the configuration of RE information. It identifies what is controlled, maintains its management metadata and relationships, governs changes and establishes Baselines.

Requirements Management manages Configuration Items and their configuration state — not their engineering content.

IMPULS3 principle. A change to engineering content is controlled by Requirements Management, but the revised engineering content is created and assessed by the RE process responsible for that content.

Requirements Engineering · Requirements Management

Transformation Engine

The Requirements Management Transformation Engine brings Requirements Engineering information under configuration control. It does not change the engineering content of an Information Element or relation; it creates and maintains the CI Record and verifies that the metadata required for controlled configuration management is present, valid and consistent.

IMPULS3 definition. The Requirements Management Transformation Engine establishes and maintains configuration control by creating a CI Record for each controlled Information Element or relation, validating its required metadata and addressing inconsistencies without changing its engineering content.

Content remains content

A Requirement remains the Requirement created through Requirements Specification. A Stakeholder Need remains the Stakeholder Need created through Elicitation. An Analysis Statement remains the engineering information established through Analysis. Requirements Management does not reinterpret or rewrite these Information Elements.

Requirements Management changes the configuration state and management information of a CI – not its engineering meaning.

The transformation

When an Information Element or relation is brought under configuration control, the Transformation Engine establishes its management record and checks that it complies with the applicable configuration rules. The same mechanism applies to Requirements and to other controlled RE Information Elements and relations.

Information Element or Relation Engineering information that is to be brought under configuration control without changing its content.
Create CI Record Establish the management record that identifies the Configuration Item and associates the required configuration metadata with it.
Check Metadata Verify that all mandatory metadata fields are present and that their values comply with the applicable rules and allowed values.
Controlled CI The Information Element or relation has an identifiable and valid configuration state and can be managed as part of the controlled RE information configuration.

Core checks

1 Completeness

Check whether all mandatory metadata fields for the Configuration Item are present and populated.

2 Validity

Check whether metadata values conform to the applicable rules, identifier schemes, permitted values and status conventions.

3 Consistency

Check whether the CI and its controlled relationships are consistent with the surrounding configuration, including references, versions and configuration states.

4 Resolve inconsistencies

Address missing, invalid or inconsistent management information before the Configuration Item is considered to have a valid configuration state.

The CI Record

The CI Record provides the management view of a Configuration Item. It does not replace the underlying Information Element or relation and does not duplicate its engineering content. Instead, it records the information required to identify, control and account for that CI throughout its lifecycle.

IMPULS3 principle. Engineering content and configuration-management information have different responsibilities. The CI Record controls the identity and configuration state of the Information Element or relation while the engineering content remains governed by the RE process that created it.

Requirements Engineering · Requirements Management

Information Model

Requirements Management does not introduce a separate engineering information model. It adds configuration control to selected Information Elements and relationships in the existing RE information model.

IMPULS3 definition. An Information Element or relation that is brought under Configuration Management becomes a Configuration Item (CI). A CI Record associates that CI with the management metadata required to identify, control and account for its configuration state.

Core structure

Information Element Engineering information such as a Stakeholder Need, Analysis Statement or Requirement.
Relation A typed relationship between Information Elements that may itself require configuration control.
Configuration Item An Information Element or relation that has been placed under Configuration Management.
CI Record The management record containing the metadata required to identify and control the Configuration Item.

Management metadata

The exact metadata depends on the type of CI and the applicable configuration rules. At minimum, the CI Record must make the Configuration Item uniquely identifiable and its current configuration state determinable. Typical metadata includes identifier, version, status, ownership, modification information and change references.

IMPULS3 principle. Configuration Management adds management information to the RE information model; it does not duplicate or replace the engineering content. Information Elements, relations and their CI Records retain distinct identities and responsibilities.

Requirements Engineering · Requirements Management

Tools & Techniques

Requirements Management uses tools and techniques to keep RE Information Elements and their relationships identifiable, traceable, searchable and internally consistent. The focus here is on capabilities that operate specifically on the RE information model.

IMPULS3 scope. Requirements Management applies Configuration & Change Management to the RE information model. Generic configuration-management mechanisms such as formal change control, baselining, version control and configuration audits are addressed by the cross-cutting Configuration & Change Management process.

RE-specific tools & techniques

1 Attribute & metadata management

Define, maintain and check the management metadata associated with RE Configuration Items. Mandatory fields, permitted values and metadata rules help ensure that CI Records are complete and valid.

2 Traceability management

Create, navigate and maintain typed relationships between RE Information Elements. Traceability checks can identify missing, invalid or broken relationships and preserve coherent reasoning chains as information evolves.

3 Querying & filtering

Search and select RE Configuration Items using their type, identifier, status, version, ownership, relationships or other metadata. Queries also help expose incomplete or exceptional configuration states.

4 Consistency & integrity checking

Apply automated or systematic checks to detect missing metadata, invalid values, duplicate identifiers, broken references and other inconsistencies within the controlled RE information configuration.

5 Impact analysis

Navigate from a proposed change through the relationships in the RE information model to identify Information Elements that may be affected and therefore require assessment before the change is accepted.

Tool support

These techniques can be supported by dedicated Requirements Management applications, model-based engineering environments, databases or other structured information-management tools. The essential capability is not the product itself, but its ability to manage RE Information Elements, their metadata and their relationships as structured information.

Relationship with Configuration & Change Management

Requirements Management uses Configuration & Change Management mechanisms within the Requirements Engineering domain. The generic mechanisms, governance and techniques for controlling configurations and changes are defined by the cross-cutting Configuration & Change Management process.

Requirements Management defines what must be controlled in the RE information model; Configuration & Change Management provides the generic mechanisms for controlling it.

Requirements Engineering · Requirements Management

IMPULS3 Principles

Requirements Management preserves the trustworthiness of Requirements Engineering information as it evolves. IMPULS3 therefore applies a small set of principles that govern the identity, configuration state, change, traceability and integrity of controlled RE information.

1 Unique Identity

Every Configuration Item has a persistent and unique identity. Its identity remains stable while its content, metadata, status or version may evolve.

2 Explicit Configuration State

The configuration state of a CI must be determinable. Required metadata such as version and status is explicit, valid and maintained rather than inferred from documents or context.

3 Controlled Change

Changes to controlled RE information are explicit and traceable. The reason for change, its impact and the resulting decision are recorded before the controlled configuration is updated.

4 Immutable Baselines

A Baseline is an immutable snapshot of an identified configuration at a defined point in time. Changes never alter an established Baseline; they result in a new controlled configuration and, where appropriate, a new Baseline.

5 Traceability Preservation

Traceability is part of the controlled information configuration. Typed relationships between Information Elements are maintained as the configuration evolves so that provenance, reasoning and impact remain navigable.

6 Configuration Integrity

A controlled RE configuration is internally consistent. Required metadata is present and valid, identifiers are unique, relationships are valid, and inconsistencies are identified and addressed.

IMPULS3 principle. Configuration control does not imply that engineering content is correct, approved or final. It means that its identity, configuration state, metadata and relationships are known, controlled and demonstrably consistent.