Creating an Intersecting Traceability Matrix
Traceability matrix shows links between different work items types. It is used to show coverage and
status. FDA and other regulators require such artifacts to show quality and compliance. At other times
quality management groups use different types of traceability matrix to understand coverage and defect
density.
Microsoft Team Foundation is a powerful platform and with SmartExcel4TFS, you can mine its data to
generate various user defined traceability matrix.
1. Open a new Excel document
Q &A
Q: Which versions of Excel are supported by SmartExcel4TFS?
A: SmartExcel4TFS support Excel 2010 and 2013.
Q: Which versions of TFS are supported?
A: TFS 2010 onwards are supported including Visual Studio Online.
2. Select the ‘SmartExcel4TFS’ tab
3. Connect to a team project by clicking on the ‘Choose Team Project’ button. Select the TFS Server,
Collection and Team Project.
4. When the connection is complete, the ‘Traceability Report’ window pops up. You will see the
following:
A. There are two types of traceability available on the left side.
B. Row Query field should be used to select a query to populate the rows of the ‘Intersecting
Matrix’.
C. Column Query field should be used to select a query to populate the columns of the
‘Intersecting Matrix’.
D. Using the link Type you can filter the matrix to only consider a given link type or all of them.
E. The ‘Intersecting Text Setting’ group is used to specify the value to be shown in the
intersecting cell.
F. The ‘Intersecting Color Setting’ group is used to set the background color based on a given
property.
G. The ‘Execute’ will run the query. It will also save the configuration values in the spreadsheet.
H. The ‘Save Configuration’ will save the configuration values in the spreadsheet.
5. Select a Row Query and Column Query then click ‘Execute’. A traceability Matrix will be displayed.
Column Query
Result
The color coded cell shows
that Requirement #2005
and Test case #2041 are
linked
Row Query
Result
The color represents
the State of the Row
Work Item
The number
represents the Priority
of the Row Work Item
Q: How do I create queries?
A: Query can be created using TFS Web Access. Click here for details.
6. Click on the ‘Refresh’ button to rerun the traceability matrix login for the selected spreadsheet.
7. You can create multiple traceability matrix in different tabs. Create a new tab (or select another
one). Click on ‘Setup Traceability’, configure the setting and click on Execute.
8. If you save and close the Excel document and reopen it later, SmartExcel4TFS will remember the
configuration settings.