requirements interchange format (OMG) (ReqIF)

The Requirements Interchange Format (ReqIF) can be traced back to the activities of the Manufacturer Initiative Software (HIS), and was standardized by the Object Management Group(OMG). This exchange format is about the exchange possibilities of requirements, with which files can be exchanged loss-free between different manufacturers or between manufacturers and suppliers.

The ReqIF format is a generic format for requirements management that evolved from the former RIF format of the HIS initiative. For the OMG Group, the requirements process and management are of particular importance so that manufacturers can use their own tools to standardize data via the exchange format. Due to the different manufacturer-owned tools, it is only possible to a limited extent to save requirements from one tool, open them with another tool and continue working with them. In addition, the relationships between the requirements cannot be transferred and used.

The functions of the Requirements Interchange Format (ReqIF) describe the hierarchically structured specifications, the inclusion of formatted text and of OLE objects (Object Linking and Embedding) in the specifications as well as the identification and the assignment of attributes to the requirements.