Creating Requirements

Learn how to create and configure requirements in your project.

Creating a New Requirement

From the Requirements Page

1. Navigate to Requirements

   • Open your project
   • Click "Requirements" in the sidebar

2. Click "New Requirement"

   • Button appears at top of requirements tree
   • Opens the requirement creation modal

3. Fill in Details

   • See Requirement Fields below

4. Save

   • Click "Create" or "Save"
   • Requirement appears in tree immediately

From an Existing Requirement

To create a child requirement:

1. Select Parent

   • Click on any requirement in the tree
   • Click "New Requirement" button

2. Parent is Pre-Selected

   • Modal shows with parent already set
   • You can change parent or set to "Root"

3. Choose Type

   • Type must follow hierarchy rules
   • Only valid child types are shown

4. Complete and Save

   • Fill in other details
   • Click "Create"

Requirement Fields

Required Fields

Type *

Select the requirement type from dropdown:

- Customer Request (CR)
- System Requirement (SYS)
- Subsystem Requirement (SUB)
- Function Requirement (FUN)
- Subfunction Requirement (SFUN)
- Detailed Requirement (L6)

info

Types shown depend on:

• Your organization's hierarchy configuration
• Selected parent (only valid children shown)

Title *

A concise description of the requirement (< 100 characters recommended).

Examples:

• "Vehicle shall transport 5 passengers"
• "System shall start within 3 seconds"
• "Display shall update at 60 Hz"

Tips:

• Use "shall" for mandatory requirements
• Start with subject (System, Engine, Display, etc.)
• Be specific and measurable

Optional Fields

Description

Detailed specification and acceptance criteria.

Example:

The vehicle shall safely transport up to 5 adult passengers
(95th percentile male, 225 lbs each) plus 100 lbs of cargo
under normal operating conditions.

Acceptance Criteria:
- Crash test rating ≥ 5 stars
- Seatbelts for all 5 positions
- Total payload capacity ≥ 1225 lbs

Parent

Select the parent requirement:

• Root: Top-level requirement (no parent)
• CR-001: Existing requirement custom ID

Hierarchy Rules

You can only select parents that make sense in the hierarchy:

• Customer Requests can only be root
• System Requirements can be root or under Customer Request
• Subsystems must be under System
• And so on...

Priority

Importance level:

• High: Critical functionality
• Medium: Important but not critical
• Low: Nice-to-have features

Status

Development state:

• Draft: Work in progress
• Under Review: Awaiting approval
• Approved: Ready for implementation
• Implemented: Development complete
• Verified: Testing complete

Owner

Assign to team member responsible for this requirement.

Custom ID Generation

How IDs are Created

IntelliSE automatically generates custom IDs based on:

1. Requirement Type: Uses type abbreviation (CR, SYS, SUB, etc.)
2. Parent: Prepends parent's custom ID
3. Siblings: Counts existing requirements of same type under same parent

Examples

Root Requirements

First Customer Request:

Type: Customer Request
Parent: Root
→ Custom ID: CR-001

Second Customer Request:

Type: Customer Request
Parent: Root
→ Custom ID: CR-002

Child Requirements

First System Requirement under CR-001:

Type: System Requirement
Parent: CR-001
→ Custom ID: CR-001.SYS-001

Second System Requirement under CR-001:

Type: System Requirement
Parent: CR-001
→ Custom ID: CR-001.SYS-002

First Subsystem under CR-001.SYS-001:

Type: Subsystem Requirement
Parent: CR-001.SYS-001
→ Custom ID: CR-001.SYS-001.SUB-001

Type-Specific Counting

Numbering counts only same type under same parent.

Example under CR-001:

• CR-001.SYS-001 (System #1)
• CR-001.SYS-002 (System #2)
• CR-001.FUN-001 (Function #1) ← Independent counter
• CR-001.SYS-003 (System #3)

Moving Requirements

You can change a requirement's parent after creation.

How to Move

1. Edit Requirement

   • Click requirement in tree
   • Click "Edit" button

2. Change Parent

   • Select new parent from dropdown
   • Or select "Root" for top-level

3. Save

   • Click "Save"
   • Custom ID updates automatically
   • All descendants update recursively

Custom ID Updates

When you move a requirement, its ID regenerates:

Before:
CR-001.SYS-001.SUB-001

Move to: CR-002.SYS-001
After:
CR-002.SYS-001.SUB-001

All children also update:
CR-002.SYS-001.SUB-001.FUN-001
CR-002.SYS-001.SUB-001.FUN-002

warning

Moving requirements updates all IDs in the subtree. References in external documents may break.

Validation Rules

Hierarchy Enforcement

The system prevents:

❌ Invalid Parent-Child Combinations

• Can't make a Subsystem parent of a System
• Can't skip hierarchy levels (System → Function without Subsystem)

❌ Circular References

• Can't make a requirement its own descendant
• Parent chain must be acyclic

✅ Allowed Operations

• Any requirement can be root
• Proper hierarchy level transitions
• Multiple children of same type

Type Constraints

Default hierarchy rules:

Parent Type	Allowed Child Types
(Root)	Customer Request, System Requirement
Customer Request	System Requirement
System Requirement	Subsystem Requirement
Subsystem Requirement	Function Requirement
Function Requirement	Subfunction Requirement, Detailed Requirement
Subfunction Requirement	Detailed Requirement
Detailed Requirement	(leaf - no children)

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Admins can customize these rules via Hierarchy Configuration

Best Practices

Naming Requirements

✅ Good Titles:

• "Engine shall generate 300 HP at 6000 RPM"
• "Display shall render UI at 60 FPS minimum"
• "Battery shall last 8 hours under normal use"

❌ Poor Titles:

• "Fast engine" (not specific)
• "Good display" (not measurable)
• "Long battery life" (ambiguous)

Organizing Tree

1. Create Top-Down: Start with high-level, decompose gradually
2. Consistent Depth: Keep similar requirements at same level
3. Logical Parents: Group related requirements together
4. Avoid Gaps: Don't skip hierarchy levels

Editing Tips

• Draft First: Mark as "Draft" until finalized
• Review Changes: Check impact before moving requirements
• Use Descriptions: Add detailed specs in description field
• Track Ownership: Assign owners for accountability

Troubleshooting

Can't Create Requirement

Problem: "New Requirement" button grayed out

Solutions:

• Check project limit for your tier (Free = limited projects)
• Ensure you have write permissions
• Try refreshing the page

Wrong Custom ID

Problem: Expected CR-002 but got CR-003

Cause: Likely deleted requirement CR-002 previously

Solution: IDs don't reuse. This is by design to avoid confusion.

Can't Select Parent

Problem: Desired parent doesn't appear in dropdown

Cause: Violates hierarchy rules (e.g., trying to make Subsystem parent of System)

Solution: Check hierarchy configuration for valid parent-child relationships

What's Next?

• Managing Hierarchy - Navigate and organize requirements
• AI Import - Import from documents (Pro/Enterprise)
• Editing Requirements - Modify existing requirements