Requirements and use cases form the basis of all development projects. You can link requirements and use cases in Microsoft Word or Excel documents directly with business process or software analysis models in the Innovator platform for traceability.
Collecting and Managing Model-Based Requirements
Requirements and use cases form the basis of all development projects. This is always the case, regardless of whether you are taking on a new development or working on an existing project.
The biggest challenge faced when collecting model-based requirements occurs when implementation of requirements and use cases needs to be checked or effects of changes to requirements need to be determined. You can effectively support the required traceability by linking requirements and use cases directly with business process and software analysis models.
Challenges
Traceability is a basic requirement to be able to assess whether requirements and use cases are complete and consistent. This enables you to integrate requirements and use cases into one model.
The biggest challenges are:
- Simple, easy to carry out functions to link requirements and use cases with model elements.
- Special requirements and use cases for requirements analysts to bear in mind
- Provide familiar text environment for requirements analysts
Analysis, requirements management and modeling require functions such as versioning, prioritizing and generating reports. If requirements analysts and modelers are able to use these together in the model tool, then they can both profit from the synergy effect.
MID's Solution
MID uses existing Innovator functions and builds on these for a model-based requirements tool.
The fact that the tool can be integrated into Microsoft Word means that requirements can be created and maintained in Word.
Functions:
- Integration of requirements and use cases in business process and software analysis models
- Traceability by linking requirements and use cases with model elements
- Matrix and tree display for analysis of effects and traceability
- Simple editing of requirements and use cases using Microsoft Word
Innovator Office Integration
Innovator Office Integration is an extension of the Innovator platform; it allows you to create and edit requirements and description texts of use cases using Microsoft Word and to synchronize these with the requirements and use cases of an Innovator model.
Requirements and use case descriptions can be created and edited separately using Word without Innovator needing to be installed on the user's computer. The add-in contains an official refresh mechanism between a Word document and an Innovator model. You can use refresh even if there is no current connection with the model.
You can also import requirements and use cases to Microsoft Excel and update them to the respective current state of the model.
Innovator Office Integration is realized using add-ins for Microsoft Word and Excel based on Visual Studio Tools for Office (VSTO 4.0).
Installation Files
The installation files for Innovator Office Integration can be found in the installation packages in the customer area.
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Innovator Office Integration (Zip file)
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Runtime libraries for Innovator Office Integration (Zip file)
It is necessary to install the runtime libraries if Innovator is not installed on the computer on which Innovator Office Integration is to be operated. The runtime libraries provide the registry entries and icons for Innovator.
Tasks in Word
- Transfer requirements and use cases created as text in structured form
- Create new requirements and use cases (even when not connected to an Innovator model)
- Edit existing requirements and use cases in a model
- Synchronize all changes with the Innovator model
Tasks in Excel
- Display existing requirements and use case descriptions in a model
- Keep the model up-to-date
Interfaces in Word and Excel
- Additional Innovator tab in the ribbon with the specific commands for Innovator Office Integration
- Innovator for Microsoft Word or Innovator for Microsoft Excel tool windows:
- Elements tab with tree and list display of requirements and use cases in the Innovator model and Word document (requirement can be navigated from both the document and tool window)
- Create elements template tab with selection options for identifiers (Word only), values and properties of new element templates (only for roles with the Configure privilege)
- Models tab with list of connected models and connection dates for the selected model
- Editor dialog for requirements and use case descriptions with complete view of all properties (Word only)
- Dialog for resolving conflicts when changes have been made to a requirement on both sides (Word only)
Prerequisites
- MS Office 2007 (or higher)
- Innovator in the Enterprise editions:
- Innovator for Business Analysts
- Innovator for Software Architects
- Innovator for Information Architects
- Innovator for Enterprise Architects
