Actions Tab: Streamline Requirements Management

 

Imagine having every important command right where you need it: no searching through menus, no extra steps, no copying and pasting IDs, and no interruptions to your workflow.

OpenRose now introduces the Actions tab across all record types, giving you fast, direct access to the commands you use most. Whether you’re working with a project, a requirement type, individual requirements, baselines, or other records, the Actions tab makes it easy to move, copy, import, and export data. You can also create Mermaid flowcharts and access other useful commands directly from the record you’re viewing.

The result is a smoother, more consistent experience across the entire tool. Let’s take a look at this new capability.

Copying a Project

I’m going to use the Charity Fundraising project, where I can see all my data in a tree view on the left-hand side.

When I open any record—whether it’s a project, an item type, or a requirement—we can see the Actions tab. It contains useful commands for that record.

For example, if I want to create a copy of the Charity Fundraising project, I can select Copy Project. Let me demonstrate. First, let’s go back to the project list. We only see Charity Fundraising. I’ll open the project, go to the Actions tab, and select Copy.

Notice that I don’t have to copy the ID or enter any of this data manually. It’s filled in automatically, and a new tab opens with the information already captured. We’re copying a project, so when I click Copy, the new copy is created.

I can close this tab because I don’t need it anymore. Back in the project list, I can now see both the original project and the copy. It’s as simple as that.

Let’s clean up by deleting the copy we just created. Now we’re back to the list, where only the original project appears.

Actions for Requirement Types

Let’s open the Charity Fundraising project again and explore the actions available for requirement types. Here, we can move a requirement type under a new project or between existing requirement types, copy it, export it as JSON, or create a Mermaid flowchart.

Let’s try creating a Mermaid flowchart. The ID shown here is automatically filled in on the flowchart export screen. Then I can choose what to include. For example, I can generate tree-view links, include tags, and add estimations if needed. When I’m ready, I generate the Mermaid flowchart text.

The code is generated automatically. I can copy it, open Mermaid, and use the code to plot the diagram. Here we can see the fundraising preparation requirement type and its requirements. Some of them include tags used for demonstration and testing.

The idea is that you can use the Actions tab instead of navigating through the menu options. In this example, there are five different actions available for a requirement type.

Actions for Requirements

Now let’s look at a requirement and its available actions. Again, there are five actions. You can move a requirement under an existing requirement or requirement type, move it between existing requirement records, copy it, export it as JSON along with its children, or generate a Mermaid flowchart.

These actions provide options that you could otherwise access through the menu bar. For example, when copying from the menu, you will have to manually select the project and item type, enter details, and provide IDs for different records as you move through the process.

Instead, you can select Copy Item from the Actions menu. The information is filled in for you, and you can complete the copy with a click of a button.

We’ll continue improving the available actions. This is the first version of the Actions tab, with commands we think will be especially useful now available directly from each record.

Actions for Baselines

There’s also a baseline for the Charity Fundraising project. When I open it in the tree view, we can see that the baseline contains requirement-type data as well as requirements data. A baseline is a snapshot of the data from a point in time.

When I open the Actions tab for a baseline requirement type, I see two options: export the data as a JSON file or generate a flowchart for that baseline requirement type.

The options for moving and copying for baseline requirement type aren’t available because baselines are read-only by nature.

To demonstrate this, I’ll open OpenRose in a separate tab, open the Charity Fundraising project, and select the Fundraising Preparation requirement type. In the live project, I have five actions available. For the same requirement type inside the baseline—a read-only snapshot—I don’t see the move and copy actions.

The same applies to individual requirements. A baseline requirement is read-only. I can include or exclude it from the baseline, which affects the project’s overall estimation, but the Actions tab only lets me export it as a JSON data file or generate a Mermaid flowchart.

In the live project, I can move or copy the requirement, create multiple copies, export it, or generate a flowchart.

Make Requirements Management Simpler with OpenRose

That’s an overview of the new Actions tab. With this feature, OpenRose makes requirements management simpler, faster, and more intuitive.

OpenRose is a free and open-source requirements management tool, accessible to everyone. Explore the new Actions tab, simplify your workflow, and discover what OpenRose can do for your projects.

Thank you for your time. We hope you’ll share OpenRose with others and with your teams. Please consider contributing to this community-driven, open-source requirements management tool.

Once again, thank you, and have a great day. Bye-bye.

OpenRose, a free and open-source requirements management application / tool. For more information, visit 

https://github.com/openrose