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RMTrak FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
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This page lists answers to questions
frequently asked about RMTrak. If you have additional questions or would
like to know more about how RMTrak can help you succeed, please
contact us. |
What exactly does RMTrak do?
How does
RMTrak know where the requirements are?
How
do I create tags? Is it difficult? How will I know which tags to add?
It seems
like tags would clutter up my documents. Is there a way to make them invisible?
How do requirements get into RMTrak?
How do I know when the requirements
for a project have changed?
Can RMTrak requirements contain
graphics, tables, lists, etc.?
Do the requirements in my documents
need to all be formatted the same way?
Do the documents need to be organized
in any certain way?
If I import documents into RMTrak,
do they move from their previous locations?
Does RMTrak support a requirements
baseline and version tracking?
Does RMTrak have inherent configuration
management capabilities?
Does RMTrak support single or multiple simultaneous
users?
How does RMTrak produce reports?
What type of formal docs/specs does it generate?
What kind of data import capability
does RMTrak have?
What is the difference between
a document-centric and a database-centric requirements management tool?
How
"share-able" is RMTrak data?
What
is the underlying RMTrak database? Are there size limitations?
What are the system requirements
needed for running RMTrak?
Does RMTrak run on Microsoft
Windows NT?
Can RMTrak be used with Microsoft
Office and Microsoft Windows tools?
Who
are some of your active users?
What's
new
the RMTrak User Interface?
Can
we download evaluation software from your Web site?
Do you have training options for
learning RMTrak?
Other
points about RMTrak
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What exactly
does RMTrak do?
RMTrak manages, tracks, and traces the requirements
you have listed in your project's requirements documents and lets you
generate reports based on this information.
RMTrak’s document-centric
approach lets you use Microsoft Word to easily and
efficiently create and edit any type of document, including those that
detail your project's progression. To let RMTrak to read your documents,
you'll need to add tags around each requirement listed in them. You can
easily add tags using the RMTrak macros that install into Microsoft
Word with your RMTrak installation.
When you import a document into its RMTrak project, RMTrak "pulls" the
tagged requirements directly from your documents into a database. The
database is secondary to the documents and is only a dynamic, transitory
repository RMTrak uses to generate views and reports.
You can use the views and reports RMTrak generates to get an overview
of where your project stands, which requirements have passed their tests,
and much, much more. This helps you write additional documentation and
to continue the project securely, knowing each requirement is being addressed
correctly and efficiently. |
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How does RMTrak know where the requirements are?
RMTrak recognizes requirements
based on two things: 1) the tags you put around each requirement and
2) the options you configure in RMTrak's project settings.
1) Requirements within a document are designated by unique tags you
place around each one. If the requirement is a child of another requirement,
you'll also need to insert a "parent tag" in square brackets at the
end of the requirement text. You can easily insert these tags into your
document using Microsoft Word macros available from
the RMTrak shortcut menu (which installs with the RMTrak installation).
The following are examples of parent and child requirements with their
accompanying tags:
EXMP:SRS:3
This is an example of a requirement.
¶
EXMP:TST:1
This is a child of the requirement above.
[EXMP:SRS:3]¶
2) Configuring RMTrak's
project settings lets you decide how RMTrak recognizes requirements
and their tags. For example, you can configure RMTrak to recognize requirements
as any text surrounded by tags and ending with a paragraph tag (¶),
or as any text ending with a specific character of your choice.
You can also configure RMTrak to recognize tags
as any text appearing in both bold and red formatting, or as any text
appearing in a Microsoft Word style of choice. There
are also many other ways to configure how RMTrak recognizes requirements
and tags.
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How do I create tags? Is it difficult? How will
I know which tags to add?
Every time you write a requirement in a document,
you'll need to add tags around it. The tags you put around requirements
are short, non-invasive statements that allow RMTrak to recognize which
parts of your document are requirements and what properties each requirement
has. Thanks to pre-programmed macros installed into Microsoft
Word, it's simple to create tags.
Each tag is created based on your own preferences. We recommend you consistently
use a three-item tag that lists the project acronym, requirements document
acronym, and requirement number.
In the example below for the Revolutionary Automated Teller Machine (RATM)
project, requirement #14 in the Product Validation Test Procedure document
is a child document of (traces back to) requirement #16 in the Product
Requirements Definition document.
RATM:PRD:16
RATM shall allow user to access account balance for a specific time/date.
¶
RATM:PVTP:14
Users' account balance shall be correct after transactions.
[RATM:PRD:16]
¶
RMTrak's online help files and tutorial discuss
how to create tags and format them, how to configure RMTrak to recognize
tags, and much more—tailored for both basic and advanced users.
Using RMTrak's default settings, it's very simple to add a few tags and
be ready to generate views and reports. If you still have difficulty understanding
how to add tags to your documents after reading the online help files
and tutorial, Prometeo Technologies will train you free of charge. |
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It seems like tags would clutter up my documents. Is there a way to make
them invisible?
Yes. Because requirements can be tagged in any
Microsoft Word style, you can easily make requirement
tags invisible to uninterested readers.
To make tags invisible to readers, first configure RMTrak to recognize
tags as a specific Microsoft Word style. Then format your
document's tags to be that style. In the style's properties, set the text
to be invisible. This way, the only time the tags are visible is when
the person reading the document has the "hidden text" option turned on
in Microsoft Word.
If you need help formatting tags in Microsoft Word styles,
making styles invisible, or turning on hidden text in Microsoft
Word, the RMTrak Tutorial and Help Files can help you. If you need additional
help, contact us.
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How do requirements get into RMTrak?
After you've created each document, you'll import
it into RMTrak. During this process, RMTrak uses its project settings
to recognize the tags around the requirements listed in each document.
It puts these requirements into a database and saves them there. You can
refresh the database at any time with a click of a button.
Whenever you want to generate views or reports on your project's requirements,
you need only to open RMTrak, refresh the documents (if necessary), then
generate views and reports using the menu options. |
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How do I know when the requirements for a project
have changed?
RMTrak carefully monitors the project's documents
for any changes. If RMTrak notices that a requirement has changed, it
will notify you so you can look into the situation. Additionally, RMTrak
monitors the relationships between tags. You can generate reports that
will tell you if any relationships between tags have changed. Once you're
sure the documents are correct, you can update the project's database
with the click of a button. |
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Can RMTrak requirements contain graphics, tables,
lists, etc.?
Yes. Since RMTrak works within the Microsoft
Word environment, all text, graphics, tables, lists, pictures, etc.,
remain intact within the requirements document. RMTrak can recognize
requirements regardless of their formatting or position within the document.
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Do the requirements in my documents need to all
be formatted the same way?
No. As long as the requirements each have tags
around them, and as long as you follow the formatting guidelines in RMTrak's
project options (which you configure), you can format requirements however
you like—in tables, captions, paragraphs, lists, or other ways—and each
requirement can be formatted in a different way. For example, you could
put some requirements in a list, some in a table, others in a paragraph—however
you like. |
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Do the documents need to be organized in any certain
way?
RMTrak does not require a specific model for document
management. You're free to use whatever solution best fits your development
process. RMTrak does, however, include some default properties designed
especially for product development organizations who use the typical product
development process and its document organization. These properties can
be easily added to, removed, or modified at any time to suit your organization's
particular needs. |
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If I import documents into RMTrak, do they move
from their previous locations?
No. Importing a document into RMTrak merely tells
RMTrak where the document is located. RMTrak will monitor the document
(and give you access to it) from its location anywhere on any server or
workstation.
Documents don't need to be kept in a central location; however, if more
than one person will be viewing the documents, we recommend you organize
them somewhere on a server that everyone can access. |
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Does RMTrak support a requirements baseline and
version tracking?
Yes. Typically it makes sense to baseline requirements
(and associated data) from the first version of the customer document
and then to regard the impact of changes in subsequent versions as new
baselines. RMTrak preserves the contents of all baselines. It also provides
for automatic comparison of all versions, and can produce a change impact
analysis for each comparison. To use these features, you'll need to
generate a Change report (from the Reports menu) using the options you
desire.
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Does RMTrak have inherent configuration management
capabilities?
Yes. RMTrak can provide formal requirements reviews,
formal change control reports, full configuration audit logs, and much
more. |
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Does RMTrak support single or multiple simultaneous users?
Only a single simultaneous user can have the
project window open within RMTrak; however, multiple simultaneous users
can work on an RMTrak project within Microsoft Word.
This is because documentation and requirements tagging occur outside
of RMTrak, within Microsoft Word. The RMTrak interface
is used solely to organize projects and to generate reports and views.
This allows individual team members to work from their documents as
stand-alone users and then input and/or update the supporting database
as needed.
This is one of the reasons why RMTrak
is so easy to use— it's secondary to the documentation process and
doesn't hinder team members as they write documentation.
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How does RMTrak produce reports? What type of formal
docs/specs does it generate?
RMTrak automatically constructs reporting and traceability
documents from the information in the project database. You can select
and define the report types, as well as the data required for each report.
You can use RMTrak's default reports, such as Orphans, Childless, Suspect,
Unallocated, Requirements Summary, Closure, and Change reports, or you
can have Prometeo Technologies create a unique report format specific
to your organization.
Additionally, you can view requirements in a number of different displays,
including Tree, Matrix, and Allocation views, or you can query the database
with SQL (Structured Query Language) commands to retrieve any information
you want.
Please see the Demonstrative
Presentation about RMTrak and its features to learn more about RMTrak's
views and reports. |
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What kind of data import capability does RMTrak
have?
We have successfully imported numerous other requirements
management application projects. Additionally, RMTrak features a special
import tool specifically designed to import Rational RequisitePro
databases. |
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What is the difference between a document-centric and a database-centric
requirements management tool?
With a document-centric tool, requirements are primarily listed in a requirements
document. With a database-centric tool, requirements are primarily listed
in a requirements database.
Because every company's needs and development processes are different,
it is difficult to say that one solution is universally better. However,
a document-centric solution like RMTrak allows for flexibility that a
database-centric solution can't offer. To learn more, please read our
Document-centric
Approach page. |
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How "share-able" is RMTrak data?
RMTrak has outstanding performance in a multi-user,
multi-site distributed environment. RMTrak information can be distributed
across more than one site and even distributed across more than one company.
Such projects could have a single RMTrak project database located at one
site with remote access from the other sites. |
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What is the underlying RMTrak database? Are there
size limitations?
The underlying RMTrak database is an object-oriented
Informix derivative. It is extremely robust in a single or multi-user
environment with the largest known user application in excess of 100,000
records. |
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What is the system requirements needed for running
RMTrak?
RMTrak runs on most IBM-compatible
PC-based platforms. Please see the System
Requirements page for additional information. |
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Does RMTrak run on Microsoft Windows
NT?
Yes. RMTrak does run on Microsoft Windows NT.
It also runs on Microsoft Windows XP,
2000 and 98. For more information about compatible platforms, please see
our System
Requirements page. |
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Can RMTrak be used with Microsoft
Office and Microsoft Windows tools?
Yes. RMTrak uses Microsoft Word
as the primary user interface for capturing, assigning attributes, and
linking requirements. Microsoft Access is the database
that supports the tracing and reporting of the requirements. RMTrak's
use of Microsoft Word and Microsoft Access
allow full compatibility across the entire line of Microsoft
Office and Microsoft Windows tools.
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Who are some of your active users?
Our users span many different markets, including:
- Medical
- Defense
- Aerospace
- Communications
- Industrial (transportation)
- Commercial (consumer)
However, there are no limits to who can use RMTrak.
Any organization wanting to manage their project's requirements could
benefit from RMTrak.
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What's new about the RMTrak User Interface?
RMTrak 5.0 has an upgraded/enhanced user interface
and new capabilities and features to make your job easier. The 5.0 release
also addresses all of the concerns that our Beta customers have raised.
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Can we download evaluation software from your Web
site?
Yes. You can download a fully functional 30-day
Evaluation Version of RMTrak. For more information, please visit our Evaluation
page. |
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Do you have training options for learning RMTrak?
Many requirements management tools require training that takes up your
valuable team members' time as they struggle to learn a difficult tool.
RMTrak was designed to be exceptionally simple and easy to use so formal
training is not necessary.
The Evaluation Version installation also installs the RMTrak Tutorial
and RMTrak Help Files. After installation, the RMTrak Help Files are available
from RMTrak's Help menu, and the RMTrak Tutorial is available from the
RMTrak folder in your Start menu. These files should provide all the assistance
you need to be up and running with RMTrak in no time. If you need additional
help, you can visit our Training
page or contact us for free, limited training and support. |
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Other points about RMTrak:
- RMTrak is designed to support your development process rather than
define it.
- RMTrak does not require extensive training and is simple and easy
to use.
- The additional overhead associated with many tools is minimized
with RMTrak. In reality, RMTrak's automated capability to tag, track,
and report on requirements both reduces overall company overhead and
ensures projects come in on time and within budget.
- RMTrak's document-centric approach supports the use of document
templates. Templates can help your company focus on building a more
complete and robust project management process.
- Because the requirement information is stored within the documents,
a corrupt or missing database can be easily recreated from the project's
documents.
- RMTrak's built-in reports and views provide immediate feedback on
requirement relationships. Childless and orphaned requirements are
identified early in the development process. This can eliminate costly
modifications later.
- You can quickly review the status of a project's requirements, including
which requirements have been implemented and tested.
- RMTrak supports custom attributes and document types for any type
of organization.
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A tool can't replace a development
process. At Prometeo Technologies, we understand that the quality improvements
gained by using a tool like RMTrak is directly dependent on the quality
of the process it supports. That's why Prometeo Technologies designed
RMTrak to provide the functionality necessary for requirements management
without burdening the tool with unnecessary features.
Prometeo Technologies also recognizes that it's equally important that
a solution be easy to follow. If a tool is difficult to use, the developers,
testers, and quality assurance staff tasked with developing the product
will likely abandon it. That's why RMTrak was designed to maximize flexibility
and efficiency while minimizing overhead. While other requirements management
tools require your company to implement their framework exclusively, RMTrak
supports your development process without detracting from it. |
If you would like more information about how RMTrak can help your company
succeed, please contact
us. |