Introduction to IBM Rational DOORS Next Generation Requirements Management Tool

IBM Rational DOORS Next Generation (NG) is a crucial component of CLM that enables a Business analyst to capture, analyze, and effectively manage functional and non-functional requirements.

In my personal experience, I have also utilized this requirement management tool to collaborate with customers on the captured requirements for obtaining approvals or for moving forward with development and testing.

NOTE: This tutorial contains several images, so please allow sufficient time for them to load.

In this tutorial, I will provide a comprehensive overview of IBM Rational DOORS Next Generation usage. However, before that, let’s examine how we create and manage requirements. Subsequently, I will delve further into effective requirements management techniques.

Introduction to IBM Rational DOORS Next Generation

Please note that we are not discussing the creation or capture of User Story items as requirements in this context. Instead, we are focused on creating and managing end user needs. User Story items are planning items from a development perspective and are managed in a different tool called IBM Rational Team Concert.

In my previous article on IBM Rational Collaborative Lifecycle Management (CLM), we discussed the integrated view of the following 3 tools that provide end-to-end delivery process within a single platform based on IBM Jazz:

• IBM Rational DOORS NG – for effective requirements gathering and management
• IBM Rational Team Concert – for project planning, SCM, and build management
• IBM Rational Quality Management – for comprehensive test management activities

IBM Rational DOORS Next Generation offers the following key features:

• Creating and Managing Functional and Non-Functional requirements
• Business Processes Diagrams
• Use Case Diagrams
• UI Sketches and Storyboarding
• Approval process
• Impact Analysis

Creating Requirement in IBM Rational DOORS NG

First, let’s start by creating requirements.

Assuming that you have already read my previous article on IBM Rational CLM and have created a lifecycle project, we will now log in to the same project to begin creating and managing requirements. The requirements we create will later be linked to User Stories and Test Cases.

Follow these steps:

#1) Log in to the RM application using the URL https://<ServerName>:9443/rm/web

#2) After logging in, select the CLM_Project (Requirements) from the options. The Public dashboard for this project, visible to all team members, will be displayed as shown below.

(Note: Click on any image for an enlarged view)

#3) Click on Artifacts -> Browse Artifacts to view the folder structure and create requirements.

#4) Left click on the ‘Features and Vision’ folder and select Create Artifacts.

Enter the name as ‘Place Order for Music CD’, Artifact Type as ‘Feature, and Artifact Format as ‘Text’. Then click on OK.

#5) The newly created requirement will be displayed here.

#6) Click on the newly created requirement and then click on Edit to add details.

After adding the details, you can see various attributes or properties on the right-hand side that provide a better understanding of the requirements. Save the changes once done.

#7) The Glossary, which defines key terms for reference, can also be added. To add the glossary, select the word online and right-click to create a Term.

Add Initial content for the description and make sure the Artifact type is selected as Term. Select other details as shown, then click OK to save the changes. Finally, click on Done.

#8) Place the cursor over the glossary TERM to view the associated meaning.

#9) The History of the requirement, including any changes made during its existence, is also captured and displayed as shown below.

All the changes made over time are captured, and you can review the previous revisions if needed. If you want to restore a change made earlier, you can select it from the Action menu and choose Restore.

Once done, click on Close History.

#10) Typically, teams collaborate on requirements through emails or other disconnected means that are not directly linked to the requirements. However, DOORS NG provides a convenient feature to add COMMENTS to the requirement, enabling collaboration among users. To use this feature, EDIT the requirement and go to the COMMENTS category on the right-hand side to create a comment for the Artifact.

Add the comment as shown above, then click OK. The user mentioned in the comment will be able to log in to the project. The task assigned to the user will appear on the dashboard, and they can reply to the comment as well.

This is a helpful feature for quick reviews, and it allows the entire team to easily view and collaborate on the comments.

#11) Now, let’s explore how to display or add values to the attributes for the newly created requirement on the Artifact dashboard. Go to Artifacts => Browse Artifacts, click on the Features and Vision folder, select the newly created requirement, and click on ‘Edit Attributes’.

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