Horizontal Traceability

Horizontal traceability is a software development practice that involves tracking and documenting the relationships between requirements, design, implementation, and testing artifacts across the same level of abstraction. It is a critical aspect of software development that ensures that all the components of a software system are consistent and aligned with the business objectives and user needs.

Horizontal traceability enables developers to understand the dependencies between different software artifacts and identify potential issues and inconsistencies early in the development process. It also helps to ensure that the software system is meeting the required standards, regulations, and compliance requirements.

Horizontal traceability involves creating and maintaining traceability matrices, which are tables that document the relationships between different software artifacts. These matrices provide a clear and concise overview of the software system and enable developers to quickly identify the source of issues or defects.

Horizontal traceability is particularly important in agile software development, where requirements and design are constantly evolving. It helps to ensure that changes to one artifact do not impact other artifacts and that the software system remains consistent and aligned with the business objectives and user needs.

In conclusion, horizontal traceability is a critical aspect of software development that enables developers to ensure that all the components of a software system are consistent and aligned with the business objectives and user needs. It involves tracking and documenting the relationships between requirements, design, implementation, and testing artifacts across the same level of abstraction and creating and maintaining traceability matrices. Horizontal traceability is particularly important in agile software development, where requirements and design are constantly evolving.