2. The method of claim 1 , wherein when in the first operating mode the method further comprises: scanning the textual requirements documents for requirements descriptions using a word processor application programmable interface (API), wherein for each requirement found: obtaining a type and a unique identifier of the requirement; deleting all tracing information blocks associated with the requirement; using the unique identifier of the requirement to gather the trace information from the requirements repository via a requirements management tool API; formatting the trace information by constructing a formatted text string containing information identifying where the requirement was traced from and where the requirement is to be traced to; and using the word processor API to insert the trace information into traced from and traced to sections of new tracing information blocks associated with the requirement.
1. A method, comprising: in a first operating mode: gathering trace information from a requirements repository; and formatting the trace information and inserting the trace information as text in textual requirements documents; and in a second operating mode: modifying the trace information in the textual requirements documents; and updating the requirements repository to match the modifications that were made in the textual requirements documents, wherein the trace information and a requirement in a textual requirements document are managed in a single view in each of the first and second operating modes and, in the second operating mode, the trace information appears in a block below the requirement in the textual requirements document, the trace information is modified within the block, and then, the block is marked so that an automated tool that scans the textual requirements document identifies the block as containing modified data and automatically updates the requirements repository with the modifications that were made to the trace information based on this identification.