Getting started
Overview
What are Requirements?
Requirements are reusable descriptions of features, functionality, or user stories that serve as the foundation for test case generation.
- Create a centralized library of requirements
- Reuse requirements across multiple test generations
- Track which requirements have associated test cases
- Organize by project, priority, and status
- Maintain traceability between requirements and tests
Requirements vs. Quick Entry
In the Test Generator, you can either select a saved requirement or use Quick Entry for one-time generation. Save requirements you'll use repeatedly.
Key benefits
Why use the requirements system?
Reusability
Write once, generate tests multiple times as features evolve
Traceability
Track which requirements have test coverage
Consistency
Maintain standard descriptions across your team
Organization
Group by projects, filter by priority and status
Step-by-step
Creating Requirements
Requirement structure
Every requirement consists of core fields and optional metadata.
Required fields:
- Title: Short, descriptive name
- Description: Detailed requirement specification
- Type: Category of requirement (functional, security, performance, etc.)
- Priority: Critical, High, Medium, or Low
Optional fields:
- External ID: Reference to external systems (Jira, Azure DevOps)
- Project: Associate with a specific project
- Tags: Custom labels for additional organization
- Status: Draft, Active, or Archived
Structure
Organization & Classification
Status lifecycle
Requirements move through different statuses as they progress.
Draft
Work in progress, not ready for test generation
Active
Ready for use, available in test generation
Archived
Historical record, hidden from active lists
Typical workflow:
- Create requirement in Draft status while gathering details
- Move to Active when ready for test generation
- Archive when requirement is deprecated or replaced
Visibility in test generator
Only Active requirements appear in the test generator dropdown. Draft and Archived requirements are hidden from selection but remain accessible in the Requirements page.
Priority levels
Prioritize requirements to focus testing efforts.
Critical
High
Medium
Low
When to use each priority:
- Critical: Security vulnerabilities, data loss risks, payment systems
- High: Core user workflows, authentication, key features
- Medium: Standard features, secondary workflows, integrations
- Low: Nice-to-have features, cosmetic improvements, edge cases
Project organization
Group requirements by project for better organization.
Benefits of using projects:
- Filter requirements by project in the Requirements page
- When creating from a project context, auto-assigns project
- Track requirements across different initiatives
- Isolate requirements for different teams or sprints
Optional assignment
Requirements don't need a project. Unassigned requirements are accessible from all contexts.
Finding requirements
Searching & Filtering
Search functionality
Find requirements quickly using the search bar.
Search searches across:
- Requirement title
- Description content
- External ID
Example searches:
"login" - Finds all login-related requirements
"PROJ-123" - Finds requirement with that external ID
"email validation" - Finds requirements mentioning email validation
Real-time search
Results update as you type, with no need to press Enter. Search is case-insensitive.
Traceability
Linking Test Cases
Requirements-to-test-cases linking
Track which test cases validate each requirement.
Why link test cases?
- Verify requirements have test coverage
- Track testing progress per requirement
- Maintain traceability for compliance
- Quickly access tests from requirements
- Identify untested or under-tested requirements
Maintenance
Editing & Managing Requirements
Workflow
Test Generation Integration
Requirements in the test generator
How requirements connect to test case generation.
Complete workflow:
- Create requirement in the Requirements page with detailed description
- Set to Active status when ready for testing
- Go to Test Generator and select "Saved Requirements" mode
- Select your requirement from the dropdown
- Configure generation settings (model, count, coverage)
- Generate test cases - they auto-link to the requirement
- Return to Requirements to see linked test count
Benefits of this workflow:
- Automatic traceability without manual linking
- Reuse requirements for multiple test generations
- Track coverage over time
- Consistent requirement descriptions
Pro tip: Template + Requirement combo
Save a template with your preferred settings, then select a requirement. This combines reusable requirements with reusable generation settings for maximum efficiency.
Regenerating from requirements
Update test cases as requirements evolve.
When requirements change, regenerate test cases to reflect updates:
- Edit the requirement with new details
- Go to the Test Generator
- Select the updated requirement
- Generate new test cases
- Review both old and new linked test cases
- Archive or delete outdated tests if needed
Multiple generations preserved
Each generation creates new test cases. All remain linked, allowing you to compare iterations or maintain historical versions.
Quality
Best Practices
Effective requirements management
Strategies for maintaining a high-quality requirements library.
✅ Do
- Write detailed, specific descriptions
- Include acceptance criteria
- Keep requirements focused on one feature
- Use consistent naming conventions
- Archive instead of deleting when possible
- Review and update regularly
❌ Avoid
- Vague or ambiguous language
- Combining multiple features in one requirement
- Leaving requirements in Draft indefinitely
- Duplicate or near-duplicate requirements
- Missing priority or type classification
- Ignoring linked test case coverage
Naming conventions
Consistent naming improves searchability and organization.
Suggested patterns:
[Feature Area] - [Specific Function]
Example: "Authentication - Password Reset Flow"
[Component] - [Action]
Example: "Shopping Cart - Add Item"
[User Role] - [Capability]
Example: "Admin - User Management Dashboard"
Maintenance schedule
Keep your requirements library healthy.
Regular reviews:
- Weekly: Convert Draft requirements to Active when ready
- Monthly: Review Active requirements for accuracy
- Quarterly: Archive deprecated requirements
- As needed: Update requirements when features change
Team collaboration tips
Working with requirements in a team environment.
- Establish naming conventions before creating requirements
- Use External IDs to link to your team's project management system
- Agree on when to use Draft vs. Active status as a team
- Review requirements together during sprint planning
- Assign requirements to projects to divide ownership
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Help
Support
Getting help
Resources for requirements management assistance.
Contact options:
- Email: support@synthqa.app
- Use the feedback button in your dashboard
- Visit our knowledge base for detailed articles
When requesting support, include:
- Description of the issue
- Steps you've already tried
- Screenshots if relevant
- Requirement ID if specific to one requirement
Last updated: January 2026 · Guide version: 1.0