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The traceability matrix

See which requirements link to scope, risks, tests and each other, find the requirements that link to nothing, and narrow the matrix to one class or level.

Updated 19 October 2026

Who this is for: business analysts.

The Traceability Matrix report answers two questions: what does each requirement link to, and which requirements link to nothing at all? A requirement with no links in either direction is called an orphan. Sitting under a parent in the tree does not count as a link.

Open the matrix and find the orphans

  1. Open the project and choose Reports in the left navigation.
  2. Under Available reports, find Traceability Matrix and choose Open report.
  3. Read the tiles at the top. Linked and Orphaned show how many requirements have links and how many have none.
  4. Read the bar chart to see linked against unlinked requirements at each level.
  5. Scroll to the last table to see every orphaned requirement. Click a key to open it and add the missing link.

Narrow the matrix

  1. Under Class, choose one or more of Functional, NFR, Data and Integration.
  2. Under Levels, choose All levels, Top level only or Leaf level only.
  3. In Focus on, type one requirement's key to see only its part of the trace.
  4. Read the headings. Each one now says how it is filtered.

What the matrix table shows

One row per requirement: its key, title, level and class, the scope line it is linked to, and every item it is linked to.

Taking it away

Choose Export ▾ and pick Word document (.docx) or Spreadsheet (.csv). The export uses the same filters you chose on screen.

Making the numbers better

The quickest way to reduce orphans is to open each one and link it under Traceability. See Link items and follow the trace.

Related articles

  • Link items and follow the trace

    Link a requirement to a risk, a scope line or another requirement by searching for it, and see an item's parents, children and links in the side panel.

  • The reports library

    Open a project's reports on screen, narrow them with parameters, export them to Word or a spreadsheet, and find every file the project has produced.

  • Export to Word and Excel

    Download your requirements as a CSV that Excel opens, or as a Word document, and see who your project lets export.