Traceability is the ability to recover all of the artifacts that led to an element having a problem. That includes all the code and dependencies that are included in that element. It also includes the test cases that were run on that element and the tools that were used to produce the element. Errors in tools used in the deployment pipeline can cause problems in production.
- the degree to which a relationship can be established between two or more products of the development process, especially products having a predecessor-successor or primary-subordinate relationship to one another;
- the identification and documentation of derivation paths (upward) and allocation or flowdown paths (downward) of work products in the work product hierarchy;
- the degree to which each element in a software development product establishes its reason for existing; and
- discernible association among two or more logical entities, such as requirements, system elements, verifications, or tasks.