The Barriers to Traceability and their Potential Solutions: Towards a Reference Framework

Abstract

Traceability of software artifacts, from requirements to design and through implementation and quality assurance, has long been promoted by the research and expert practitioner communities. However, evidence indicates that, with the exception of those operating in the safety critical domain, few software companies choose to implement traceability processes, often due to associated cost and complexity issues. This paper presents a review of traceability literature including the implementation of traceability in real organizations. Through both analyzing case studies and research published by leading traceability researchers, this paper synthesizes the barriers faced by organizations while implementing traceability, along with proposed solutions to the barriers. Additionally, given the importance of traceability in the regulated domain of safety critical software, the paper compares the barriers for organizations operating inside and outside of this domain.