TIM (Traceability Information Model)
A Traceability Information Model (TIM) defines which artifact types of a development process must be connected by which relationship types — the binding blueprint for requirements traceability. TIMs are versioned so that trace links can be validated auditably against a defined model version.
What does a TIM specify?
A TIM answers three questions before the first trace link is created:
| Question | Example |
|---|---|
| Which artifact types exist? | Stakeholder requirement, system requirement, architectural element, implementation, test case, test result |
| Which relationship types connect them? | is refined by, is satisfied by, is verified by |
| Which connections are mandatory? | Every system requirement needs at least one verifying test case |
Only this specification makes gap analyses possible: without a model, it cannot be decided whether a missing link is a real gap or simply was never required. Coverage analyses always check against the TIM.
Why versioned and with provenance?
Development processes change — new artifact types are added, relationship types are refined. To keep evidence reliable, links (assertions) in the traceability graph carry provenance to the TIM version they were validated against. This keeps it comprehensible for auditors which set of rules an item of evidence was created under — and the structured, machine-readable form also makes the traceability graph analyzable for AI-supported analyses.
TIM and standards: tailoring instead of adoption
Standards such as ISO 26262, IEC 62443 or Automotive SPICE require comprehensible relationships between artifacts, but do not provide a ready-made model for the specific organization. The TIM is created through tailoring: based on the regulatory requirements, the real tool landscape and the company’s processes, it is defined which artifacts must be connected, which relationship types are relevant and how changes are documented.
The TIM in practice
The TIM is the point where traceability turns from good intentions into a verifiable methodology: it turns a collection of links into a model that can be validated. In projects with fragmented tool landscapes (requirements in DOORS or Polarion, models in MBSE tools, code in GitLab), the TIM also defines which tool boundaries the traceability layer has to bridge.