An Ontology Based Improved Software Requirement Traceability Matrix

Requirement traceability matrix (RTM) is an important static requirement tracing method which is still applied widely in software projects. But traditional RTM mainly support vertical traceability which is started from functional requirements to the other software products, such as design documents, source code and test cases, and usually leads to lower efficiency of defects modification and respondence of requirement changes for neglect of lateral traceability between functional requirements. We put forward an improved RTM based on ontology by which we could trace not only vertical but also lateral functional requirements. First, an ontology of RTM was constructed in which we defined the classes and their relations of RTM. Then, instances or individuals of this ontology needed to be built to support some relevant ontology queries for lateral traceability. Finally, we applied this improved RTM in banking business system.