BMAD-METHOD/.claude/tasks/analysis/trace-requirements.md

# Requirements Traceability Task

## Purpose

Establish and maintain comprehensive traceability between business requirements, user stories, technical specifications, test cases, and implementation artifacts. Ensure all requirements are properly addressed and validated throughout the development lifecycle.

## Traceability Framework

### Traceability Levels

**Level 1: Business Requirements → User Stories**
- Map high-level business objectives to specific user stories
- Ensure complete coverage of business needs
- Identify gaps in requirement coverage

**Level 2: User Stories → Technical Specifications**  
- Link user stories to system architecture components
- Map functional requirements to technical implementation
- Trace non-functional requirements to system design

**Level 3: Technical Specifications → Implementation**
- Connect architectural decisions to code components
- Map API specifications to actual endpoints
- Trace database design to data models

**Level 4: Implementation → Test Cases**
- Link code components to unit tests
- Map user stories to acceptance tests
- Trace technical specifications to integration tests

**Level 5: Test Cases → Validation Results**
- Connect test execution to requirement verification
- Map test results to acceptance criteria satisfaction
- Trace quality metrics to business objectives

## Traceability Matrix Structure

### Forward Traceability (Requirements → Implementation)

| Requirement ID | Description | User Story | Tech Spec | Implementation | Test Case | Status |
|---------------|-------------|------------|-----------|----------------|-----------|---------|
| BUS-001 | User authentication | US-001, US-002 | ARCH-001 | auth.service.ts | TC-001-005 | ✅ |
| BUS-002 | Data export | US-003 | ARCH-002 | export.service.ts | TC-006-008 | ⚠️ |

### Backward Traceability (Implementation → Requirements)

| Implementation | Technical Spec | User Story | Business Requirement | Rationale |
|---------------|---------------|------------|---------------------|-----------|
| payment.service.ts | ARCH-003 | US-004 | BUS-003 | Payment processing |
| user.model.ts | ARCH-001 | US-001, US-002 | BUS-001 | User management |

## Task Execution Process

### 1. Requirements Collection and Categorization

**Business Requirements (BUS-)**:
- High-level business objectives and goals
- Stakeholder needs and constraints  
- Success criteria and KPIs
- Regulatory and compliance requirements

**Functional Requirements (FUNC-)**:
- Specific system capabilities and features
- User interaction and workflow requirements
- Data processing and business logic needs
- Integration and interface requirements

**Non-Functional Requirements (NFR-)**:
- Performance, scalability, and reliability requirements
- Security, privacy, and compliance needs
- Usability, accessibility, and user experience standards
- Maintainability, portability, and operational requirements

### 2. User Story Mapping

**Story Identification**:
```gherkin
Epic: User Authentication (BUS-001)
├── US-001: User Registration
│   ├── Given: New user wants to create account
│   ├── When: They provide valid registration information  
│   └── Then: Account is created and confirmed
├── US-002: User Login
│   ├── Given: Registered user wants to access system
│   ├── When: They provide valid credentials
│   └── Then: They are authenticated and redirected
```

**Acceptance Criteria Traceability**:
- Map each acceptance criterion to specific test cases
- Link business rules to validation logic
- Trace user interactions to UI components

### 3. Technical Specification Mapping

**Architecture Traceability**:
```yaml
business_requirement: BUS-001 (User Authentication)
user_stories: [US-001, US-002]
technical_components:
  - component: AuthenticationService
    responsibility: "Handle user login/logout"
    requirements: [FUNC-001, FUNC-002]
    tests: [TC-001, TC-002, TC-003]
  - component: UserRepository  
    responsibility: "Manage user data persistence"
    requirements: [FUNC-001, NFR-001]
    tests: [TC-004, TC-005]
```

**API Specification Traceability**:
- Map user stories to API endpoints
- Link business rules to API validation
- Trace data requirements to API schemas

### 4. Implementation Traceability

**Code Component Mapping**:
```typescript
/**
 * @requirements BUS-001, FUNC-001, FUNC-002
 * @user_stories US-001, US-002  
 * @test_cases TC-001, TC-002, TC-003
 */
class AuthenticationService {
  // Implementation traces back to specific requirements
}
```

**Database Schema Traceability**:
- Map data entities to business requirements
- Link schema changes to requirement evolution
- Trace performance requirements to indexing strategy

### 5. Test Case Traceability

**Test Coverage Analysis**:
```gherkin
Feature: User Authentication (BUS-001)
  @requirement:US-001 @test-case:TC-001
  Scenario: Successful user registration
    Given a new user provides valid information
    When they submit the registration form  
    Then their account is created
    And they receive a confirmation email
```

**Test Type Mapping**:
- **Unit Tests**: Trace to functional requirements and code components
- **Integration Tests**: Map to system interface requirements
- **End-to-End Tests**: Link to user stories and business workflows
- **Performance Tests**: Connect to non-functional requirements

## Traceability Analysis and Reporting

### Coverage Analysis

**Requirement Coverage Report**:
```markdown
## Requirements Coverage Summary

### Business Requirements: 15/15 (100%)
- ✅ All business requirements mapped to user stories
- ✅ All user stories have acceptance criteria
- ✅ All acceptance criteria have test cases

### Technical Specifications: 12/15 (80%)
- ✅ 12 specifications implemented
- ⚠️ 2 specifications partially implemented  
- ❌ 1 specification not implemented

### Test Coverage: 45/50 (90%)
- ✅ Unit tests: 95% coverage
- ✅ Integration tests: 100% of APIs
- ⚠️ E2E tests: 85% of user journeys
```

### Gap Analysis

**Missing Traceability**:
- Requirements without corresponding user stories
- User stories without technical specifications
- Implementation without test coverage
- Test cases without requirement justification

**Orphaned Artifacts**:
- Code components not traced to requirements
- Test cases not linked to user stories  
- Technical specifications without implementation
- Documentation without requirement basis

### Impact Analysis

**Requirement Changes**:
- Identify all affected artifacts when requirements change
- Assess implementation and test impacts
- Plan migration strategy for requirement evolution

**Implementation Changes**:
- Trace code changes back to requirement justification
- Validate that changes align with business needs
- Ensure test coverage remains adequate

## Quality Metrics

### Traceability Completeness
- **Forward Traceability**: % of requirements traced to implementation
- **Backward Traceability**: % of implementation traced to requirements
- **Test Coverage**: % of requirements validated by tests
- **Documentation Alignment**: % of specs aligned with implementation

### Traceability Quality  
- **Link Accuracy**: Correctness of traceability relationships
- **Update Frequency**: How current the traceability matrix is
- **Granularity Appropriateness**: Right level of detail for traceability
- **Stakeholder Usability**: How well traceability serves different roles

## Output Formats

### Executive Dashboard
```markdown
# Requirements Traceability Dashboard

## Overall Health: 92% ✅

### Coverage Metrics
- Business Requirements Coverage: 100% (15/15)
- Implementation Coverage: 95% (48/50 components)  
- Test Coverage: 90% (45/50 test scenarios)
- Documentation Alignment: 88% (current)

### Key Risks
- 2 high-priority requirements partially implemented
- 5 test gaps in critical user journeys
- 3 orphaned code components need requirement justification
```

### Detailed Traceability Matrix
```csv
Requirement_ID,Type,Description,User_Story,Tech_Spec,Implementation,Test_Cases,Status,Notes
BUS-001,Business,User Authentication,US-001;US-002,ARCH-001,auth.service.ts,TC-001-005,Complete,
FUNC-001,Functional,Password Validation,US-001,ARCH-001,password.validator.ts,TC-001;TC-002,Complete,
NFR-001,Non-Functional,Response Time < 2s,US-001;US-002,PERF-001,auth.service.ts,TC-020-025,In Progress,Load testing needed
```

## Integration with Other Tasks

**Story Review Integration**:
- Validate that new stories trace to business requirements
- Ensure acceptance criteria are testable and traceable
- Check for requirement coverage gaps

**Quality Gate Integration**:
- Traceability completeness as quality gate criteria
- Requirement coverage threshold enforcement
- Impact analysis for requirement changes

**Test Design Integration**:
- Use traceability matrix to identify test priorities
- Ensure high-risk requirements have comprehensive test coverage
- Validate test scenarios against requirement specifications

## Success Criteria

- **Complete Coverage**: All requirements traced through to validation
- **Current Information**: Traceability matrix updated with each change
- **Decision Support**: Traceability enables informed change management
- **Quality Assurance**: No requirements slip through without proper validation
- **Audit Readiness**: Full requirement satisfaction can be demonstrated