Getting Started

Prerequisites

To use 4Spec you need:

Jira Cloud — 4Spec runs on Atlassian Forge and requires a Jira Cloud instance.
Project admin access — the user who installs and provisions 4Spec must be a project administrator for the target project.

Open the Atlassian Marketplace and search for 4Spec.
Click Install and authorize the app for your Jira site.
Navigate to any Jira project, open the project sidebar, and select 4Spec to launch the app.

4Spec appears as a project page in every project where it is enabled. No additional configuration is required to get started.

The first time you open 4Spec in a project, the app automatically provisions everything it needs. This is a one-time setup that takes a few seconds.

4Spec creates the following resources in your Jira project:

Requirement — a dedicated issue type for requirements. Each requirement is a Jira issue with additional metadata managed by 4Spec.
Test Case — a dedicated issue type for test cases, linked to requirements for traceability.

Requirement ID — auto-generated identifier (e.g., REQ-001). The prefix is configurable in project settings.
Test Case ID — auto-generated identifier (e.g., TC-001).
Type — requirement classification: Business, System, Functional, or Non-Functional.
Safety Class — optional safety classification for regulated projects (ASIL, DAL, Risk Class, or custom schemes).

"requires" — links requirements to implementation issues (stories, tasks, bugs).
"tests" — links test cases to the requirements they verify.

All provisioned resources use standard Jira mechanisms — nothing is hidden or proprietary.

4Spec organizes its functionality across eight tabs, accessible from the project page:

Tab	Purpose
Requirements Tree	Create, organize, and manage requirements in a hierarchical folder structure with drag-and-drop.
Traceability Matrix	Visualize requirement-to-issue links and coverage status at a glance.
Document View	Render the requirements tree as a structured, numbered specification document.
Test Cases	Create and manage test cases with step-by-step instructions, linked to requirements.
Test Plans	Group test cases into plans for organized test execution campaigns.
Test Execution	Run test cases, record pass/fail/blocked results, and track defects.
Reports	Coverage reports, cycle comparisons, trends, and audit-ready compliance reports.
Audit Log	Immutable record of every create, update, delete, approve, and sign action.

Requirements — learn how to create and manage requirements.
Test Cases — learn how to create test cases and link them to requirements.
Admin & Settings — configure ID prefixes, safety classification schemes, and approval rules.

For questions or feedback, contact contact@be4.software.