ba-requirements-lifecycle

Build a traceability matrix in four steps: link each requirement to its originating business need, assign design components once architecture is defined, bind test cases to each verifiable requirement, and keep the status column updated as work progresses. Target 100% backward coverage and at least one test per Must Have requirement.

The BABOK change request process has six steps: identify the change, document a CR with justification, analyze impact on requirements, design, code and tests, evaluate priority, obtain a governance decision from the sponsor or CCB, then update the RTM and notify the team if approved.

Create a baseline when the Must Have specification is complete, at the start of each sprint in agile projects, when planning a release, or after a major approved change request. Baselines are versioned and never modified retroactively; changes require a formal CR.

The lifecycle states are Identified, Analyzed, Approved, In Implementation, Implemented, Verified, Validated, Deferred, Cancelled, and Replaced. Each transition is triggered by events such as stakeholder sign-off, development completion, passed tests, or an approved change request.

Skip formal traceability when no requirements are documented yet, since elicitation and analysis must come first, or when the project is small enough that maintaining an RTM would be excessive overhead relative to the delivery risk.