The traceability matrix shows how requirements connect to tests so you can spot coverage gaps at a glance. It offers a top-down view from features down to executions and a bottom-up view from test cases back to the requirements they cover. Open it from the Traceability item in the Quality Assurance group.
Open the matrix
In the sidebar, open the Quality Assurance group and select Traceability. The Traceability Matrix opens in the top-down view, and you can switch views with the Top-Down and Bottom-Up toggle in the header.
Top-down view
The top-down view traces requirements down to the tests that verify them, following this chain:
- Path: Features, then User Stories, then Acceptance Criteria and Issues, then Test Cases, then Test Executions.
Expand each level to drill down, or use Expand All and Collapse All in the header. Child items load on demand, so the tree stays responsive on large datasets. Coverage badges and the latest execution status appear alongside each node, and a legend explains the icon for each item type.
Bottom-up view
The bottom-up view starts from test cases and shows the requirements each one is linked to:
- Path: Test Cases, then their linked User Stories and Acceptance Criteria, up to the parent Feature.
A reverse coverage percentage summarizes how many test cases are linked to a requirement, and the summary counts show the total, linked, and unlinked test cases. Test cases marked unlinked are orphans that cover no requirement, which are good candidates to review.
Link at the criterion, not just the story
The matrix is only as useful as the links behind it, and where you attach a test decides what it can tell you. A test linked to a whole user story marks that story as covered, even when it verifies one of its four acceptance criteria. A test linked to the individual criterion it actually verifies leaves the other three visibly untested, so the story reads as partly covered rather than done.
Link at the criterion wherever you can. Partial coverage that shows up as partial is the whole point of keeping a matrix, and a story that claims full coverage on the strength of one test is the failure this exercise exists to prevent.
Filter and export
Filter the top-down view by feature, status, priority, and coverage to focus on gaps, and filter the bottom-up view by linkage to isolate linked or unlinked test cases. Export the matrix to PDF for audit documentation or stakeholder review.
Build the links from an AI assistant
The links the matrix reads can be created over the MCP server, so a connected AI assistant can produce real coverage rather than empty records. It can create a user story with its acceptance criteria as structured entries, create the test cases with their steps, and link each case to the individual criterion it verifies, in either direction. Reading the story back returns each criterion with its own identifier and its coverage, so the assistant can confirm the link took effect instead of assuming it did.
One thing to watch: updating a story’s acceptance criteria replaces the whole set, so every criterion you want to keep has to be included. A criterion left out is deleted, and its test links go with it.
See Connecting via the MCP Server for how to create a scoped token and connect your tool.
New to ISO Mate? Every account starts with a 14-day free trial.