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Purpose and Context

Validation answers the question: Are we building the right system? — confirming that the final product satisfies the original customer requirements. The User Need Validation Sheet provides a three-tier Requirements Traceability Matrix (RTM) view connecting:
  1. User Needs (CustomerRequirement entities) — what stakeholders require
  2. Validation Test Cases (ValidationTestCase entities) — how we prove the system meets those needs
  3. Validation Evidence (external references) — artifacts demonstrating test passage
This sheet is essential for safety-critical projects where ISO 26262 requires closed-loop validation evidence linking back to source requirements, and for quality initiatives (IATF 16949, APQP) demanding customer-centric verification. diagram

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Sheet Configuration Properties

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Core RTM Query

PropertyValueDescription
Source EntityCustomerRequirementRTM model queries user need (customer requirement) work items as the root dataset
Order BytitleSorts requirements alphabetically by title for predictable navigation
Order DirectionascAscending alphabetical order (A → Z)
Document Filter(empty)No document scope constraint; shows all customer requirements in the project
The RTM model query form: 
source:
  entity: CustomerRequirement
  orderBy: title
  orderDirection: asc
  parameters: {}

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Relationship Expansion Hierarchy

LevelExpansion PathTarget EntityLink RoleCardinality
1validationTestCases.validationTestCaseValidationTestCasevalidationTestCases1 → N
2validationTestCases.validationTestCase.externalReferencesExternal EvidenceexternalReferences1 → N
The PowerSheet creates Cartesian product rows: one user need can expand to multiple validation test cases, and each test case can expand to multiple evidence artifacts. For example:
LevelEntityLink RoleExpanded From
RootUser Need—Query result
Level 1Validation ActivityvalidatesUser Need
Level 2Validation Evidencehas_evidenceValidation Activity

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Column Group Architecture

The sheet organizes columns into three color-coded sections for visual workflow clarity:

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User Needs Column Group (Green Theme)

Displays customer requirement metadata with read-only formatting to enforce requirements governance.
ColumnTypeWidthFormatNotes
Requirement IDobjectId80pxreadOnlyUnique identifier for the customer requirement; stable across versions
Requirement Titletitle300pxboldReadOnlyPrimary navigation column (hasFocus = true); bold text + grey background indicates read-only master data
Requirement Descriptiondescription400pxreadOnlyFull text of the customer requirement; collapse target for this group
Formatting Notes:
  • isReadOnly: true prevents accidental edits; validation engineers may view but not modify source requirements
  • hasFocus: true on title column places keyboard cursor here when entering the requirements section
  • collapseTo: title minimizes the entire group to show only requirement title when user toggles collapse

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Validation Tests Column Group (Orange Theme)

Displays linked validation test case information; editable for test case creation and linking.
ColumnTypeWidthFormatNotes
Test Case IDvalidationTestCases.validationTestCase.objectId100pxdefaultID of the linked validation test case; links to test case work item
Test Case TitlevalidationTestCases.validationTestCase.title350pxboldTest case name/description; bold formatting for visual hierarchy; hasFocus = true
Relationship Syntax:
  • validationTestCases.validationTestCase — dot notation traverses the RTM expansion: first validationTestCases is the link role, second validationTestCase is the entity type reached
  • Each user need can have multiple test cases; PowerSheet creates sub-rows for each

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Validation Evidence Column Group (Red Theme)

Displays external reference artifacts (test reports, videos, logs) linked to test cases.
ColumnTypeWidthFormatNotes
Evidence ReferencevalidationTestCases.validationTestCase.externalReferences400pxlinkExternal artifact reference (URL or Polarion attachment); renders as clickable link
Evidence TypevalidationTestCases.validationTestCase.externalReferences.type100pxdefaultClassification of evidence (e.g., Test Report, Video, Data File)
Two-Level Expansion:
  • Traverses through validation test case to its external evidence links
  • Supports nested expansion (2 hops) to reach evidence artifacts not directly attached to requirements
  • Evidence may include: PDF test reports, video recordings, data logs, inspection photos, audit trails

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Column Group Collapse Behavior

GroupCollapse ToBehaviorUse Case
User NeedstitleShows only requirement title; hides ID and descriptionSummary view for executive reporting
Validation TestsvalidationTestCases.validationTestCase.titleShows only test case titleReduced-width display on narrow screens
Evidence(default visible)Cannot collapse; evidence section stays expandedEvidence artifacts require inspection
Use collapse to reduce visual clutter when reviewing 50+ requirements. Expand only the requirement groups needing detailed evidence review. The collapse state is preserved within your browser session.

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View Configurations

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Default View

PropertySettingPurpose
Visible ColumnsAllFull requirements → tests → evidence traceability
Sort OrderTitle (asc)Alphabetical requirement ordering
Document GroupingBy moduleOrganize requirements by source specification document
Row HeightStandardBalanced space for multi-line requirement titles
Configuration example: 
views:
  default:
    visibleColumns: [objectId, title, description, testCaseId, testCaseTitle, evidenceRef]
    sortBy: title
    sortDirection: asc
    expanded: true

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Evidence-Focused View (Optional)

Hides user need details to emphasize evidence artifacts and test results: 
views:
  evidenceFocus:
    hiddenColumns: [description]
    expandedGroups: [validationTests, validationEvidence]
    collapsedGroups: [userNeeds]
    visibleColumns: [testCaseTitle, evidenceRef, evidenceType]

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Field Formatting Rules

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Read-Only Requirement Fields

Applied to: Requirement ID, title, description 
formatter:
  type: readOnly
  style:
    backgroundColor: grey100
    fontColor: grey700
    fontWeight: normal
Effect: Grey background with disabled text prevents accidental editing; requirements remain source-of-truth under requirements management governance.

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Bold Read-Only Formatter

Applied to: Requirement title 
formatter:
  type: boldReadOnly
  style:
    backgroundColor: grey100
    fontWeight: 600
    fontColor: grey700
Effect: Requirement titles stand out visually while remaining immutable; helps readers identify primary requirement statements.

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Bold Formatter (Editable)

Applied to: Test case title 
formatter:
  type: conditional
  condition: true
  style:
    fontWeight: 600
Effect: Test case titles display in bold to differentiate the expanded relationship section from root requirement columns; remains editable for test case refinements. Applied to: External evidence references 
formatter:
  type: link
  style:
    color: blue600
    textDecoration: underline
  onClick: openExternalReference
Effect: Evidence references render as clickable hyperlinks; click opens test report, video, or document in new tab/window.

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Configuration File Location

PowerSheet YAML configuration: 
.polarion/nextedy/sheet-configurations/User Need Validation Sheet.yaml

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Workflow Integration

The User Need Validation Sheet fits into the validation workflow phase of the V-model: diagram

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Typical Usage Sequence

  1. Enter the sheet — Navigate to User Need Validation Sheet from Design space home dashboard
  2. Review requirement details — Expand requirement titles to read full context and rationale
  3. Link validation test cases — Add VTC work items to validationTestCases relationship
  4. Attach evidence — Link test reports, videos, logs via externalReferences
  5. Validate coverage — Use dashboard coverage bars to confirm all customer requirements are tested
  6. Export for audit — Print sheet or export as PDF for ISO 26262 Part 4 §8 compliance evidence
  7. Track acceptance — Update test case status as evidence is collected and reviewed
For this PowerSheet to function, the RTM domain model must define:
Link RoleFromToMultiplicityPurpose
validationTestCasesCustomerRequirementValidationTestCase1:NIdentifies which validation test cases prove the user need
externalReferencesValidationTestCaseExternal (URL/Attachment)1:NAttaches evidence artifacts (reports, logs, videos) to test cases
If link roles validationTestCases or externalReferences are missing or misconfigured in .polarion/nextedy/models/rtm-domain-model.yaml, the PowerSheet will display empty columns. Consult RTM Domain Model reference to verify link role definitions.
Sheet Version: TestAuto2 v2.1+
Standards Reference: ISO 26262-4 §8 (Validation), ISO 26262-8 §6 (Traceability)