Traceability matrix and taskboard

- When I buy something online, I really like that I can track the package from its original warehouse all the way to my door. Similarly, I can follow my Uber or Lyft driver as they make their way to my location. The reason this is so satisfying is that I can predict when the value will be delivered and I can also tell when the planned arrival is disrupted. We track our packages, our rides and even our friends. Wouldn't it make sense to do something similar for expensive work projects? In developing your business analysis plan, you have to decide how requirements will be traced to ensure they're all delivered and approved. You'll do this by determining a traceability approach and using a traceability matrix. The traceability approach is a way of thinking about how requirements are related and tracking them. The project team should be able to trace a single requirement to its supporting objectives and other related requirements. The traceability approach also allows for the visibility of progress on individual requirements. It clearly exposes obstacles that are preventing requirements from progressing. Appropriate actions can then be taken to remove those obstacles. The traceability matrix is how you use the traceability approach to track your project. It's a tool you actually use. You might have seen this before in the form of a task board in Scrum or a kanban board. What you do is arrange a few columns with titles that represent the status of the requirements. Typically, the columns are labeled to-do, in progress and done. Now, the in progress column could be further subdivided to show phases of the organization's methodology including maybe analysis, design, development, tests, et cetera. On these physical boards, the connections between requirements and objectives are visualized by sticky notes and moved between defined columns. These are extraordinarily helpful but a traceability matrix is a digital document used to not just visualize the progress but to consolidate all of your documentation in one place. You can understand the current status of individual requirements and link to other important documents. These may include use cases, analysis models, design documents, test plans, cases and results. Acceptance sign-offs are also often included. The more detailed traceability matrix often has a space dedicated to linking high level requirements also referred to as features or epics to smaller user stories. They can also connect each requirement to the corresponding business and project objectives. The traceability matrix should act as a single source to connect all project requirement documentation. You can use the matrix to assess the impact of changes to requirements and the overall project scope. This assessment allows changes to be addressed and quantified from a risk, cost or time perspective. As new requirements are approved, they're added to the traceability matrix. You trace them as they are implemented. Now, the amount of detail you include is dependent on the size, complexity and importance of the project. Also note that you can certainly have a task board as well but the traceability matrix acts as the central hub for information. Use the traceability matrix as your primary tool for tracking your efforts, improving communication and clarifying your progress.