When working with the MBSE Capella modelling tool there are several options to capture textual requirements in a model:
1 – Capture textual requirements directly in the modelling tool. There is the need to install the Requirements Viewpoint add-on
2 – Import textual requirements captured in an external tool:
2.1 – Using ReqIF files
2.2 – Capella connector add-ons.
This post will describe one way for importing and exporting ReqIF files between the Capella and IBM Doors 9.x requirements management tool.
Use case: a systems engineer holding different roles (requirements engineer and system modeller) needs to export textual requirements from IBM Doors, import them to Capella, create traceability links between textual requirements and model elements, export traceability and import and update textual requirements attributes; complete textual requirements and Capella modelling tool roundtrip.
Steps 1 – 4: enumerates a typical IBM Doors module creation, requirements and attributes capture, configure and export a ReqIF file from Doors.
Step 5: If the model in hosted on a server, a modeller may need to download a local copy before importing the ReqIF file.
Step 6 – 7: Import ReqIF file and upload local model to the server. It is very important to import ReqIF first and not creating requirements in the Capella tool.
Note: It is relevant to make sure the above step is followed for the first time, that is, import the textual requirements ReqIF file exported from Doors and not creating a new requirements module in Capella. This activity will allow Capella to create and configure the Capella Requirement Module with the ReqIF Identifier.
Step 8: Formalise textual requirements as describe in the post: How to capture textual requirements in Capella.
Step 9: Establish traceability between textual requirements and model elements. It is assumed traceability link types (e.g., satisfy, derive) were previously created and can be used for traceability.
Step 10: From project explorer, select textual requirements (only) and send it to “Mass Visualization View”. Hide and show columns in the Mass Visualization View tab. Click on .csv to export to a CSV file.
Step 11: On the exported .csv file, reword and match attributes against the Doors requirements module. If not new attributes will be created.
Step 12: Import ReqIF file.
Last step will update (at least the allocated elements – example of a name attribute that captures traceability) the requirements attributes in the requirements module.
It is not advised to update textual requirements in the Capella tool. This may break any defined process and source of truth for textual requirements, which should be the selected requirements management tool.
Below a process flow describing the use of ReqIF files:
