https://hjohansen.dk/en/tags/traceability/Recent content in Traceability on HJohansen.dkHugoen-USSun, 24 May 2026 09:30:00 +0200https://hjohansen.dk/en/knowledge/traceability/overview/Sun, 24 May 2026 09:30:00 +0200https://hjohansen.dk/en/knowledge/traceability/overview/<p>A useful mental model for how engineering documentation fits together:</p> <div class="highlight"><pre tabindex="0" style="color:#f8f8f2;background-color:#272822;-moz-tab-size:4;-o-tab-size:4;tab-size:4;-webkit-text-size-adjust:none;"><code class="language-text" data-lang="text"><span style="display:flex;"><span>Business Need </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span> ↓ </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span>Requirements (what) </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span> ↓ </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span>Acceptance Criteria (how to verify what) </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span> ↓ </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span>Design (how to build it) </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span> ↓ </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span>Implementation </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span> ↓ </span></span><span style="display:flex;"><span>Tests (based on acceptance criteria) </span></span></code></pre></div><h2 id="key-principles">Key Principles</h2> <h3 id="1-traceability-is-key">1. Traceability is Key</h3> <p>Every requirement should link to:</p> <ul> <li>a design element</li> <li>one or more acceptance criteria</li> <li>one or more tests</li> </ul> <h3 id="2-avoid-mixing-levels">2. Avoid Mixing Levels</h3> <p>Common mistakes:</p>