Traceability
Link defects to test cases and requirements for end-to-end traceability.
Link to Test Cases
Linking defects to test cases creates a traceable connection between the testing activity that discovered the bug and the defect record. This bidirectional link lets you see, from any test case, which defects have been found against it -- and from any defect, which test cases are affected.
How to Link a Defect to a Test Case
- Open the defect you want to link by clicking on it in the defects list.
- In the defect detail view, expand the Traceability section and find the Test Cases field.
- Click the + (Link test cases) button beside the field. A search dialog will appear.
- Search for the test case by title or ID. You can type keywords to filter the list.
- Select one or more test cases and confirm.
- The linked test cases now appear in the Test Cases field. The same link can be made from the other side, in the test case's Traceability section under Defects ID.
Viewing Linked Defects from a Test Case
The link is bidirectional. A test case has no Defects tab — open the test case, stay on its Details tab and expand the Traceability section, and every defect linked to it is listed under Defects ID. This gives testers and test managers an immediate view of how many open bugs are associated with a given scenario.
When to Link Defects to Test Cases
- After creating a defect: Every defect is created on the Defects tab, so link it to the test cases that cover the affected functionality as soon as you save it.
- Multiple test cases affected: A single defect can impact multiple test cases. Link all relevant test cases so that when the defect is resolved, you know which tests need re-execution.
- Regression tracking: Link defects to regression test cases to ensure they are included in future regression cycles once the fix is deployed.
Why Linking Matters
Linking defects to test cases enables several powerful capabilities:
- Impact analysis -- Quickly see how many test cases are blocked or affected by a specific defect. This helps prioritize fixes based on their testing impact.
- Re-testing efficiency -- When a defect is fixed, you know exactly which test cases need to be re-executed to verify the fix, saving time during verification cycles.
- Reporting accuracy -- The Coverage & Traceability reports use these links to show defect density per test area and identify which parts of your application have the most issues.
Defect links are never created automatically. Every defect-to-test-case link is made by hand, either from the defect's Traceability section or from the test case's Defects ID field. See Linking a defect to a failed test.
Link to Requirements
Linking defects to requirements completes the traceability chain in TestKase. With this link in place, you can trace from a business requirement through the test cases that validate it, down to the specific defects that block it. This traceability is essential for understanding the quality impact of open bugs and for making informed release decisions.
The Traceability Chain
Requirement --> Test Case --> Defect
Defects link at the test-case level — the association is with the test case itself, not a specific execution run within a cycle. When a defect is linked to a requirement, you can answer questions like: "Are there any open blockers against the Payment Processing requirement?" or "How many defects are associated with our Authentication requirements?" This information is invaluable during sprint reviews, release planning, and stakeholder updates.
How defect-to-requirement links are created
You do not link a defect to a requirement directly. TestKase derives the link through the test case they share: when a test case is linked both to a requirement and to a defect, that defect appears under the requirement, and that requirement appears under the defect.
To create the link:
- Open the test case the defect was found against.
- In its Traceability section, add the defect under Defects ID and the requirement under Requirement ID.
- Open the defect. The requirement now appears in its Requirements field.
The Requirements field on a defect is read-only, and so is the Defects field on a requirement. Neither has a link control -- change the test case's links instead. A requirement with no linked test cases can never show a defect, however many defects exist against the feature.
Viewing Derived Defects from a Requirement
The derivation works in both directions. When you open a requirement and expand its Traceability section, the Defects field lists every defect that shares a test case with that requirement, along with a refresh control that re-reads their statuses. This helps product owners and project managers assess whether a requirement is at risk due to open defects. For a deeper understanding of coverage, see the Requirements documentation.
Impact Analysis with Requirements
When defects are linked to requirements, you gain powerful impact analysis capabilities:
- Requirement health -- See which requirements have open defects linked to them, indicating areas of the product that are not meeting specifications.
- Release readiness -- Before releasing, check whether any critical requirements have unresolved Blocker or Critical defects. This helps product owners make informed go/no-go decisions.
- Complete traceability -- Combined with test case links, you get the full chain: Requirement --> Test Case --> Defect. This allows you to trace a business requirement all the way through to the specific bugs preventing it from being fully verified.
Because requirement-to-defect links are derived, keep the test case in the middle up to date: link every test case to the requirement it verifies and to the defects found against it. That single habit is what makes release-review questions answerable.