How do you label requirements and testcases?

Requirement and Testcase numbering schemes once was a crucial traceability issue, especially with older tools (spreadsheets, custom or in-house systems) that did not offer real referential integrity. Requirement numbers and Testcase numbers were then used to synchronize complete teams and so they had to be unique, consistent and revision controlled.

Since Integrator has complete referential integrity (who did what, when and why), the actual naming convention for Requirements and Testcases is less of a critical point. The point is, by looking at the latest data from the web interface, it is clear what is connected together.

In fact, we offer automatic renumbering so that you can line-up Requirements and Testcases in the order they would appear in a spec, which is much more convenient as the requirement base grows. We also found that it is a simple solution that simplifies the incorporation of requirements from various sources that would naturally produce various numbering schemes. You just pick the one you like and adapt as you discover better solutions. Everybody stays on the same page all the time.

We usually like a short mnemonic with a counter. For example R_ELECTR_xxxx would generate electrical requirements from 0000 to 9999. For folks who absolutely want a specific revision identification directly in a requirement, something like R_ELECTR_xxxx.yy would do the trick.

Again, the point is if you later change your mind, it is easy to renumber everything and still keep everybody using the right information.