We've all been there. You're in a meeting, and someone asks you to share the traceability matrix for your project or you could get a call from your boss asking why you're not using the traceability matrix for your project. What does it mean? What does it look like? Why should I care about this thing that sounds like some exotic bird? Well, we've got answers for you! Here's everything you need to know about traceability matrices: What is a traceability matrix? A traceability matrix is a document that helps correlate and trace business, application, security or any other requirements to their implementation, testing or completion. It evaluates and relates different system components and provides the status of project requirements in terms of their level of completion. So, when the project team reviews the traceability matrix, they can quickly identify if all of the required elements were accounted for and were being developed. The most common type of traceability matrix is the "waterfall" model. It starts with the left side of the table being the requirement and the top of the table being the deliverable or component. A mark is placed where there is a commonality or a relationship between the condition and the deliverable/component. The next column to the right of the commonality is the following requirement and so on. A traceability matrix is a powerful tool for measuring software completion. It allows us to see where our project requirements have been implemented, test cases have been written, and how far along we are in the process. Suppose you're trying to evaluate a piece of software for completion using a traceability matrix. In that case, you could place the project requirements in the left column and their corresponding test cases in the top row. If you mark off each condition as it's completed and then add up all of those marks at the end, you'll know exactly how close your project is to being finished! It's a great way to ensure that everything has been taken care of before you move on!