1. © 2013 IBM Corporation
DOORS Hints and Tips: Linking and views
Hazel Woodcock, IBM Rational

2. © 2013 IBM Corporation
Enabling Product and Service Innovation | Rational
Why use a link schema?
 Control
– Only allow valid relationships
– Supports organizational definitions of good practice
 Analysis
– Improve analysis opportunities
 Consistency
– Use the same schema across projects for consistency
– More efficient transfers of staff between projects
– Easier cross project reporting
– Support organizational processes

3. © 2013 IBM Corporation
Enabling Product and Service Innovation | Rational
What does a link schema look like?
Stakeholder
Requirements
System
Requirements
Subsystem
Requirements
Subsystem
Requirements
User
Acceptance
Tests
Systems
Tests
Subsystem
Tests
Design
Rationale
Risks
Subsystem
Tests
Subsystem
Tests
Subsystem
Requirements
satisfies
satisfies
tests
tests
tests
identified from
mitigates
contributes to
is justified
by
Stakeholder
Requirements
tests
Formal Module
Linkset

4. © 2013 IBM Corporation
Enabling Product and Service Innovation | Rational
What should / shouldn’t I do?
 Draw out expected information types and the relationships between them
– Part of an information architecture workshop
 Plan links from logically later information to logically earlier information
– Links are created when the later information goes in
– Access rights within DOORS make this a better option
– Use requirement ‘satisfies’ higher level requirement, not requirement ‘is satisfied by’ lower level
requirement. Links can be analysed in either direction later.
 Don’t have round trip links
– If you have a link from module A to module B, there should not be a link from module B to module A
 Don’t link within a module
– Links within a module usually indicate a sub-optimal partitioning of formal modules
 Don’t use the default DOORS Links module
– Describe the relationship between the two linked pieces of data (requirement satisfies requirement) and
use the verb as the name of the link module.
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Stakeholder
Requirements
System
Requirements
Subsystem
Requirements
Subsystem
Requirements
User
Acceptance
Tests
Systems
Tests
Subsystem
Tests
Design
Rationale
Risks
Subsystem
Tests
Subsystem
Tests
Subsystem
Requirements
satisfies
satisfies
tests
tests
tests
identified from
mitigates
contributes to
is justified
by
Stakeholder
Requirements
System
Requirements
Subsystem
Requirements
Subsystem
Requirements
User
Acceptance
Tests
Systems
Tests
Subsystem
Tests
Design
Rationale
Risks
Subsystem
Tests
Subsystem
Tests
Subsystem
Requirements
satisfies
satisfies
tests
tests
tests
identified from
mitigates
contributes to
is justified
by

5. © 2013 IBM Corporation
Enabling Product and Service Innovation | Rational
What does a link schema look like?
Link modules in an Admin folder for the projec
DOORS Links module deleted so
that ad-hoc links cannot be created
Permitted link relationships
defined
Ad-hoc linking disallowed

6. © 2013 IBM Corporation
Enabling Product and Service Innovation | Rational
What can / can’t I do?
 Enforce allowable relationships
– Link direction and module to module relationships defined
 Enforce individual link validity
– Individual links still have to be checked for correctness
 Create project templates
– Cross project consistency
 Analyse a single link type (for example, satisfies, or tests) to report on coverage
– Easily check for test coverage, look at impact analysis, check for gold plating etc.
 Show analysis in a column
– Show selected information about the other end of a link in a column
 Save an analysis view
– Save the view and make it visible to the whole team
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7. © 2013 IBM Corporation
Enabling Product and Service Innovation | Rational
Traceability - using the power of the link schema
Stakeholder
Requirements
System
Requirements
Subsystem
Requirements
Subsystem
Requirements
User
Acceptance
Tests
Systems
Tests
Subsystem
Tests
Design
Rationale
Risks
Subsystem
Tests
Subsystem
Tests
Subsystem
Requirements
satisfies
satisfies
tests
tests
tests
identified from
mitigates
contributes to
is justified
by
Requirements
coverage analysis
From Stakeholder requirements, analyse all
incoming links through ‘satisfies’ link module,
for multiple levels.

8. © 2013 IBM Corporation
Enabling Product and Service Innovation | Rational
Saving analysis views
Select pre-saved views from list
Column displays
selected information from
far end of link
View may also include filters, sort, selected attributes, Layout DXL.