Feature Overview

The Object Relationships feature allows users to manually create bidirectional links between multiple types of project objects (such as tasks, requirements, Bugs, test cases, and documents) and visualize those links in a relationship graph. By building complete relationship chains, teams can reduce information silos and keep project information traceable end to end.

Use Cases

Impact assessment for requirement changes: When adjusting a requirement, a product manager can review linked task progress and test case execution results on the requirement details page to evaluate real impacts comprehensively.

Release scope verification: When confirming a release scope, a release manager can trace whether related tasks are completed, tests are passed, and linked Bugs are fixed and closed—ensuring the release content matches expectations.

Customer request response: When responding to customer requests, pre-sales or support teams can quickly locate objects converted from feedback (such as requirements or Bugs), review progress and solutions, and synchronize information more efficiently.

Knowledge base deep tracing: When new team members search historical documents, they can follow relationship chains to trace linked requirements, tasks, design solutions, and even the handling and lessons learned for risks and opportunities—accelerating onboarding and execution.

I. Using Object Relationships in the UI

On the details page of an object in Sanplex, an Associated Objects panel is displayed in the lower-right area. Click it to create or manage relationships.

Supported objects include: Business Requirements, User Requirements, R&D Requirements, Tasks, Bugs, Test Cases, Documents, Designs, Issues, Risks, Opportunities, Commits, Feedback, Tickets, and workflow objects.

1. Create relationships between objects

After clicking Link Objects, a dialog displays objects that can be linked. If you are linking from an R&D Requirement, R&D Requirements are listed by default.

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Default scope of objects listed for linking:

• Objects that the current user has permission to access and that are not deleted. If a product/project/execution is deleted, its related requirements, tasks, Bugs, test cases, issues, risks, opportunities, etc. will not be listed.
• If an object appears in the relationship list but the current user does not have permission to view it, it will be displayed without a hyperlink.
• An object can be linked multiple times across different relationship groups. If it is linked multiple times under the same relationship type, duplicates are merged and only one entry is shown.

You can switch the dropdown in the link dialog to select other object types to link.

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Select the objects to link, choose the relationship type, and click Save. Relationship types can be configured in Admin; choose based on your actual needs.

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Identical relationship types are grouped together. Relationships are shown bidirectionally on the details pages of both linked objects.

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2. How linked objects are displayed

Linked objects are displayed by relationship type.

In addition to manually created links, system-generated relationships produced by workflow transitions are also shown here. These built-in relationships are system-defined and cannot be removed. Built-in relationship types include:

• Twin / Twin: Indicates two objects keep key information synchronized.
• Converted to / Converted from: One object is converted into another (for example, feedback converted to a requirement/Bug/task).
• Generated / Generated from: One object generates another (for example, a requirement generates a task/test case/Bug).
• Broken down to / Broken down from: Parent/child decomposition between objects.
• Implemented by / Implements: Indicates an object is implemented via code commits (for example, a requirement or Bug is implemented by a commit).
• Linked to: Indicates links to versions, releases, or merge requests.

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Click a hyperlink to open a linked object. Objects visible to the user show hyperlinks; objects outside the user’s permissions do not.

3. Relationship graph

Click Relationship Graph to view a diagram of object relationships. In the graph, click an object name to view its linked relationships and objects.

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The list view also provides an Associated Objects field; clicking it can also open the relationship graph.

4. Unlink objects

Hover over a linked object name; an Unlink icon/button appears on the right. Click it to remove the relationship so it no longer appears in the list.

System-built relationships and relationships created by system transitions cannot be unlinked here.

• Note: For twin requirements, unlink them in the Twin tab.

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II. Admin Configuration for Relationship Types

Go to Admin > Feature Configuration > Object Relationships to view the default relationship types. Among them, Related (or the equivalent default “related” relationship) is not deletable.

• In the UI, you can create relationships among Business Requirements, User Requirements, R&D Requirements, Tasks, Bugs, Test Cases, Documents, Designs, Issues, Risks, Opportunities, Commits, Feedback, Tickets, and workflow objects.
• Relationships are bidirectional and appear on both objects. For example, if A depends on B, then B is shown as depended on by A.

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1. Add a relationship type

Click Add Relationship Type to create a new relationship type, which then becomes available in the UI.

“Relationship” and its “Reverse Relationship” appear as a pair. For example, if the relationship is Depends on and the reverse is Depended on by, then A Depends on B means B is Depended on by A.

If a relationship name duplicates an existing one, the system will warn you but still allows saving.

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2. Edit a relationship type

Click Edit to rename the relationship type.

3. Delete a relationship type

Deleting a relationship type is a hard delete. Relationship types that have already been used cannot be deleted, but they can be renamed.

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