Requirements Traceability Measured & Benchmarked for the First Time

The first large scale, empirical research to confirm higher levels of traceability correlate to cycle time and quality improvements.  

PORTLAND, Ore., March 24, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Jama Software, the leading requirements management solution provider, today released the Requirements Traceability Benchmark – the first-ever large scale, empirical study to measure Traceability Scores™ and the impact different levels of requirement traceability have on quality and cycle times. The benchmark dataset includes over 40,000 projects spanning numerous industries. Requirements traceability across the entire systems development lifecycle is a core tenant of the systems engineering discipline and underpins industry standards to ensure higher quality, faster cycle times, and less costly rework.      

The Requirements Traceability Benchmark found a statistically significant relationship between Traceability Scores and cycle time and quality. Specifically: 

• Higher Traceability Scores were found to correlate to faster test case execution and defect detection. Top quartile performers outperformed bottom quartile counterparts by 2.5X.
• Higher Traceability Scores were found to correlate to more tests being completed and a higher percentage of passed tests. Top quartile performers outperformed bottom quartile counterparts by nearly 2X.

Additional findings include: 

• The top 10% of performers achieve an average Traceability Score of 87%
• Top quartile performers have a 7x higher average traceability score than bottom quartile performers
• Performance varies across projects within companies with 57% of companies having projects in more than one quartile

"Process improvement requires measurement," said Marc Osofsky, Jama Software's CEO. "The engineering process needs to catch up to other business functions in terms of process measurement. Traceability Scores now provide a great way for companies to baseline current performance and measure improvement over time." 

The Requirements Traceability Benchmark is available for download today! 

About Jama Software 
Jama Software is focused on maximizing innovation success. Numerous firsts for humanity in fields such as fuel cells, electrification, space, autonomous vehicles, surgical robotics, and more all rely on Jama Connect® to minimize the risk of product failure, delays, cost overruns, compliance gaps, defects, and rework. Jama Connect uniquely creates Live Traceability™ through siloed development, test, and risk activities to provide end-to-end compliance, risk mitigation, and process improvement. Our rapidly growing customer base of more than 12.5 million users across 30 countries spans the automotive, medical device, life sciences, semiconductor, aerospace & defense, industrial manufacturing, financial services, and insurance industries. Visit us at jamasoftware.com. 

Media Contact 
Karrie Sundbom 
Marketing Director, Jama Software 
[email protected] 

SOURCE Jama Software