ReqIF, the Requirements Interchange Format, is arguably the accepted format for exchanging requirements. Every serious requirements tool supports it, and ReqIF.academy has over 3000 members, demonstrating the ongoing interest in ReqIF.

Yet, the press has been silent. It seems that there were few news on ReqIF. In this case, no news are good news. It indicates that the community is happy with the standard and is now focusing on rolling it out everywhere. Yet, there have been a number of ReqIF-realated activities in the early 2020s. Read on to learn what has happened.

The following is a high-level summary of 2018 activities. A more in-depth ReqIF Intelligence Report for 2018 just got published at ReqIF.academy (registration required).

Tool Support

More and more tools implement ReqIF. And not just requirements tools: We see modeling tools, reporting tools, integration tools and more adding ReqIF to their capabilities. It clearly shows that ReqIF is not just used for exchanging requirements, but also for tool integration and process implementation.

ProStep Activities

ProStep iViP, a non-profit organization, has always been active in pushing ReqIF for broader adoption. In addition to their Implementor Forum, ProStep has ongoing forums for ReqIF-related workflows and benchmarks. While the detailed results are only available to members, you can get an overview of the results in the ReqIF Intelligence Report.

The Future of ReqIF

ReqIF is managed by of the Object Management Group (OMG). Any changes are introduced exclusively through the OMG issue process. However, for most party involved, stability is paramount. ReqIF has not changed since 2011, which indicated that the format is mature and supports all relevant use cases. Let’s continue to follow the spread of ReqIF in 2019.