Objects you work with

Building block

Building blocks graphically illustrate the hierarchical relationships of elements in a product or system. For example, such hierarchies may reflect design elements in a product, tasks in a work breakdown structure, or job functions in an organizational chart. You can create diagrams with Microsoft Office Visio and attach them to building blocks. You create and organize building blocks in folders. In the same way you can structure requirements within a folder, you can organize building blocks in multiple levels of parents, children, and siblings; alternatively, they may all reside at the top level.

Complying object

An object that partially or completely fulfills a condition specified by a defining object. You can follow trace links from complying objects through the hierarchy to one or more originating sources.

Connection

A connection defines the association between two or more terminals or nodes in a physical model.

Defining object

An object that specifies a condition that a product or component must fulfill. You can follow trace links from defining objects down through the hierarchy to the lowest level requirement that meets the original condition.

Derived requirement

A requirement that is translated into parameters suitable for lower level analysis and design. The inputs to the derivation process are higher level requirements and the outputs are new requirements.

Diagram

A diagram represents a functional model, logical model, or a subset of one of those models. You can create and edit diagrams with Visio. Each Visio diagram is interactively synchronized with the database and is associated with a custom stencil that contains shapes representing the requirements objects. This allows you to create, modify, and delete objects in the database by adding, modifying, and deleting the corresponding shapes in the diagram. Diagrams are typically attached to building blocks, but can be attached also to folders, requirements, and groups.

Folder

In a project hierarchy, the primary level is represented by folders. Folders contain requirements, building blocks, groups, and other folders in the requirements hierarchy.

Note: Use notes to record information that relates only to certain objects, rather than to all objects of a type. For example, a note may convey the rationale for a decision, the minutes of a meeting, or an informal discussion about a particular requirement. You can attach notes to folders, requirements, building blocks, and groups. You create and edit the content of notes with Microsoft Office Word.

Project

A project represents the highest level of organization. Each project prescribes a boundary for user access and for customization of object types and properties. It also defines a hierarchy in which the other types of objects reside.

Requirement

Requirements describe the product that the customer will buy. They communicate the customer's specifications to the various disciplines involved in the product's development. You create and organize requirements in folders. Within each folder, you can define multiple levels of organization to allow flexibility in structuring requirements. For example, all requirements in a folder can reside at the top level. Alternatively, you can organize them in a hierarchy of parent, child, and sibling requirements. Each requirement is a separately managed object, with specific properties and access control. You create and edit the content of requirements in Word.

Spreadsheet

Spreadsheets allow you to perform complex analysis and manipulation of requirements data, for example, budgets. You can attach spreadsheets to folders, requirements, building blocks, and groups. Equations and other content can be edited in Microsoft Office Excel.

Trace link

Trace links help ensure the components of the physical and logical models have supporting requirements. Likewise, they help ensure that each requirement is satisfied in the physical and logical models. A trace link establishes a directional relationship between two objects. Each trace link indicates which object precedes, or defines, the other in the relationship. The defining and complying objects can reside within the same project, or can reside in different projects. You can create trace links between folders, requirements, building blocks, and groups.