When a company wants to exchange requirements from a data source (for example, an RE/RM tool) with one or more business partners (called roundtrip participants), it initiates a roundtrip. The result of this process is a ReqIF/RIF package that can be imported by the business partners of the roundtrip initiator into their respective data sources. Windchill Requirements Connector can greatly aid this process. This chapter describes the process of starting a roundtrip and how Windchill Requirements Connector can be used to facilitate this process.

The requirements exchange process needs proper planning. The roundtrip initiator is responsible for the planning of the complete exchange process. The results of the planning process should be documented in an exchange plan that is available to all roundtrip participants. The next steps of the start of the roundtrip process are the preparation of the data source, the preparation of Windchill Requirements Connector for the roundtrip, and the execution of the roundtrip that results in a ReqIF/RIF package for the requirements exchange. All steps subsequent to the planning step should be defined in the exchange plan.