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Requirements traceability matrix (RTM)
A requirements traceability matrix, or RTM, is a table that maps each requirement to the items that satisfy and verify it, such as design elements, test cases, and results. It gives a team a single view of coverage, showing at a glance which requirements are tested, which are not, and where the gaps are.
What it means
The RTM is traceability made visible. Instead of links buried across tools, it lays requirements down one axis and their related artifacts across the other, so anyone can read coverage like a map. A missing cell is a missing test. A test with no requirement behind it is scope nobody asked for. Both are the kind of thing an auditor circles first.
Building an RTM by hand in a spreadsheet is where teams usually come unstuck, because the moment a requirement changes, the matrix is out of date. Azure DevOps tracks the underlying links between work items, but it does not generate a true traceability matrix on its own. Tools such as Modern Requirements build the RTM from those live links, so it stays current as the work moves.
In practice
Before a design review, a medical device team pulls up its RTM and spots three requirements with no linked test cases. That single view turns a vague worry about coverage into a short, specific to-do list, and it becomes part of the evidence pack the auditor asks for later.
FAQ
What goes into a requirements traceability matrix?
How is a traceability matrix different from a list of requirements?
Manage requirements the modern way
Modern Requirements brings documentation, traceability, and reviews together inside Azure DevOps.
