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Before you click anything in Visure, here's the picture of how the application organizes everything. The next 5 minutes give you the map; each concept is explored in detail later in the chapter where you actually use it.<img src="https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/7d91c66b-0caa-46ad-bac4-3e4f5e551c0c" alt="" data-position="full" data-width="97.96992481203007%" data-height="auto" class="lexical-inline-image position-full" style="z-index: 20;">Let's walk through it, top to bottom.The database sits at the top. It's the storage that holds all of your organization's Visure projects, plus the users that exist across them.Projects branch off the database. Each project is fully independent — a change in Project A doesn't touch Project B. When you log in, you pick which project to enter. Most organizations run several projects in parallel — one per product, customer engagement, or compliance program.Users belong to the database, not to individual projects. A single user can be assigned to multiple projects; their capability inside each project is determined by which user groups they belong to there.User groups live inside each project. They're the configurable role definitions — Project Manager, Requirements Engineer, Tester, Reviewer in the standard templates, plus any custom groups your administrators create. A group's actual power comes from the permissions it holds on access partitions, not from its name.Access partitions are slices of a project's content — typically Requirements, Tests, Defects. Each user group has one of four permission levels on each partition: no access, read-only, read-write on own creations only, or read-write on all items.Specifications live inside partitions. A specification — also called a document — is a structured container of items. Most projects have several: System Requirements, Software Requirements, Test Protocols, Defects, and so on. Folders are just specifications that contain other specifications.Items live inside specifications. An item is the atomic unit of content — typically one requirement, one test, one defect, or one design rule. Every item has a unique code, a name, a description, and a set of attribute values.Attributes describe items. Some attributes are built into Visure — <code spellcheck="false" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Code</code>, <code spellcheck="false" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Name</code>, <code spellcheck="false" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Created by</code>, <code spellcheck="false" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Modified date</code> — and apply to every item. Others are defined per project — <code spellcheck="false" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Priority</code>, <code spellcheck="false" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Status</code>, <code spellcheck="false" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Owner</code>, <code spellcheck="false" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Verification Method</code>, anything your project needs.Link types connect items across specifications. Common examples are <code spellcheck="false" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Satisfied by</code>, <code spellcheck="false" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Verified by</code>, <code spellcheck="false" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Derived from</code>, and <code spellcheck="false" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Mitigates</code>. Link types are directional — they describe relationships with intent. The data model is the rulebook that says which specifications can link to which, and with which link type.Baselines wrap the whole project in time. A baseline is a frozen snapshot — once created, it can't be modified. Baselines answer the question "what did this project look like on day X?" and are the foundation of compliance and audit trails.Views are saved layouts for browsing items. A team typically builds a handful — one for daily editing, one for reviewing, one for reporting — and switches between them with a single click.Workflows are attribute-driven state machines. They let an attribute like <code spellcheck="false" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Status</code> move through defined states (Draft → Reviewed → Approved) with rules about who can move it where.That's the whole model. Don't worry about retaining every concept — you'll meet each one again in the chapters where it's practiced. The diagram and this article are your reference; come back to them whenever a term in a later chapter doesn't click.<h3 class="LexTKB__h3" dir="ltr">Where each concept comes up next</h3><ul class="LexTKB__ul"><li value="1" class="LexTKB__listItem">Projects and the UI for navigating between them → Section 0.3 (Logging in and the UI tour)</li><li value="2" class="LexTKB__listItem">Specifications and folders → Section 1.2 (Documents and folders)</li><li value="3" class="LexTKB__listItem">Items → Section 1.3 (Creating items)</li><li value="4" class="LexTKB__listItem">Attributes → Section 1.5 (Custom attributes)</li><li value="5" class="LexTKB__listItem">Views → Section 1.6 (List View)</li><li value="6" class="LexTKB__listItem">Link types and data models → Section 2.2 (Data models and link types)</li><li value="7" class="LexTKB__listItem">Access partitions → Section B.3 (Users, groups, and access partitions)</li><li value="8" class="LexTKB__listItem">Baselines → Section 2.6 (Baselines)</li><li value="9" class="LexTKB__listItem">Workflows → Section C.4 (Workflows)</li></ul>Read next: Logging in and the UI tour (Section 0.3)

Visure uses a check-in / check-out mechanism to control modifications and prevent multiple users from editing the same element at the same time. It applies to Visure-managed elements — items, attributes, documents, and folders.The rule is simple: an element must be checked out before its editable information can be modified, and checked back in once changes are complete.<h3 class="LexTKB__h3" dir="ltr">The four status colors</h3>The same color meanings apply across all of Visure, regardless of whether the status appears as a bar, a circle, or another visual indicator.<table class="LexTKB__table"><colgroup><col><col></colgroup><tbody><tr><th class="LexTKB__tableCell LexTKB__tableCellHeader" style="width: 81px; vertical-align: top; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245);">Indicator</th><th class="LexTKB__tableCell LexTKB__tableCellHeader" style="vertical-align: top; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245);">Meaning</th></tr><tr><td class="LexTKB__tableCell" style="width: 81px; vertical-align: top; text-align: start;">Green</td><td class="LexTKB__tableCell" style="vertical-align: top; text-align: start;">The element is checked out by you. You can modify it.</td></tr><tr><td class="LexTKB__tableCell" style="width: 81px; vertical-align: top; text-align: start;">Yellow</td><td class="LexTKB__tableCell" style="vertical-align: top; text-align: start;">The element is checked out by another user. You cannot modify it until they check it back in (or an authorized user resolves the checkout).</td></tr><tr><td class="LexTKB__tableCell" style="width: 81px; vertical-align: top; text-align: start;">Blue</td><td class="LexTKB__tableCell" style="vertical-align: top; text-align: start;">The element is checked in, but has been modified since the last baseline. Available for editing; differs from the version captured in the latest baseline.</td></tr><tr><td class="LexTKB__tableCell" style="width: 81px; vertical-align: top; text-align: start;">No color</td><td class="LexTKB__tableCell" style="vertical-align: top; text-align: start;">The element is checked in and unchanged since the last baseline. Neutral state.</td></tr></tbody></table>When you check out an element, its status changes to indicate you're editing it (green). After you check it back in with changes, Visure marks it as modified since the last baseline (blue), where applicable.<h3 class="LexTKB__h3" dir="ltr">Where you'll see the status</h3>Status indicators may appear differently depending on the view. In some areas it's a vertical color bar; in others, a colored circular icon or another compact indicator. The four colors mean the same thing everywhere.<ul class="LexTKB__ul"><li value="1" class="LexTKB__listItem">Documents and folders — In the Documents section, folders and documents display a visual status indicator in both tile and list mode. The indicator reflects whether the document or folder itself is being edited (its name or document-level attributes).</li><li value="2" class="LexTKB__listItem">Items — Inside an open document, items display their status in Document View, List View, Traceability View, and the Traceability Matrix. In Document View specifically, the status appears as a color line to the left of the item.</li><li value="3" class="LexTKB__listItem">Attributes — Custom attributes can also be checked in and checked out from the Custom Attributes area, either via the toolbar at the top of the screen or the right-click context menu.</li></ul><h3 class="LexTKB__h3" dir="ltr">How it works for each element type</h3>The check-out requirement applies to the editable properties of each element type.Items. Checking out an item allows you to modify its editable fields — name, description, type, access partition, and user attribute values. New items are automatically checked out by the user who creates them. After check-in, another user can check the item out and continue editing. Each check-out creates a new version.Documents and folders. Checking out a document or folder lets you modify the document or folder itself — its name, its document-level attributes. Important: checking out a document does not automatically check out the items inside it. To modify content, the items inside a document must be checked out individually.Attributes. Checking out an attribute allows authorized users to edit its definition or configuration. If you edit an attribute that's not already checked out, Visure may automatically check it out as part of the editing process.<h3 class="LexTKB__h3" dir="ltr">Undo Check-Out</h3>The Undo Check-Out action discards modifications made since the last check-out and restores the element to its previous checked-in state. For items, the version created during the check-out is deleted when the check-out is undone.Undo is irreversible — your in-progress edits are gone. If you want to keep them, check in first with a clear comment, and revert in a later check-out.<h3 class="LexTKB__h3" dir="ltr">Actions and shortcuts</h3><table class="LexTKB__table"><colgroup><col><col><col><col></colgroup><tbody><tr><th class="LexTKB__tableCell LexTKB__tableCellHeader" style="width: 146px; vertical-align: top; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245);">Action</th><th class="LexTKB__tableCell LexTKB__tableCellHeader" style="width: 105px; vertical-align: top; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245);">ShortcutWindows</th><th class="LexTKB__tableCell LexTKB__tableCellHeader" style="width: 135px; vertical-align: top; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245);">ShortcutMac</th><th class="LexTKB__tableCell LexTKB__tableCellHeader" style="vertical-align: top; text-align: start; background-color: rgb(242, 243, 245);">What it does</th></tr><tr><td class="LexTKB__tableCell" style="width: 146px; vertical-align: top; text-align: start;">Check Out</td><td class="LexTKB__tableCell" style="width: 105px; vertical-align: top; text-align: start;"><code spellcheck="false" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Alt + O</code></td><td class="LexTKB__tableCell" style="width: 135px; vertical-align: top; text-align: start;"><code spellcheck="false" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">OPTION+SHIFT+O</code></td><td class="LexTKB__tableCell" style="vertical-align: top; text-align: start;">Locks the selected element for editing by you.</td></tr><tr><td class="LexTKB__tableCell" style="width: 146px; vertical-align: top; text-align: start;">Check In</td><td class="LexTKB__tableCell" style="width: 105px; vertical-align: top; text-align: start;"><code spellcheck="false" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Alt + I</code></td><td class="LexTKB__tableCell" style="width: 135px; vertical-align: top; text-align: start;"><code spellcheck="false" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">OPTION+SHIFT+I</code></td><td class="LexTKB__tableCell" style="vertical-align: top; text-align: start;">Saves your changes and releases the element so other users can check it out.</td></tr><tr><td class="LexTKB__tableCell" style="width: 146px; vertical-align: top; text-align: start;">Undo Check-Out</td><td class="LexTKB__tableCell" style="width: 105px; vertical-align: top; text-align: start;"><code spellcheck="false" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Alt + U</code></td><td class="LexTKB__tableCell" style="width: 135px; vertical-align: top; text-align: start;"><code spellcheck="false" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">OPTION+SHIFT+U</code></td><td class="LexTKB__tableCell" style="vertical-align: top; text-align: start;">Discards the current check-out's changes and restores the previous checked-in state.</td></tr></tbody></table>All three actions are also available from the toolbar and from the right-click context menu wherever an element is selected.<img src="https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/3c110907-d54e-49d3-8a2f-5efe36bf87eb" alt="" data-position="full" data-width="50%" data-height="auto" class="lexical-inline-image position-full" style="z-index: 20;"><img src="https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/aae6c3cb-12b1-4621-9ffd-fa963ebbd9f8" alt="" data-position="full" data-width="50%" data-height="auto" class="lexical-inline-image position-full" style="z-index: 20;">

Visure is built around four primary roles. You'll typically belong to one of them, but it's useful to know what the others do, because you'll work alongside them.Project Administrators. Sets up the project, defines who can see what, decides on the attribute schema and link types, and signs baselines. They configure the workspace; the rest of the team works inside it. Tracks B and C of this course are aimed at this role.Requirements Engineer. Captures and refines requirements. Spends most of the day in Document View and List View, creating items, adding attributes, and linking related work. Track A of this course is built for this role.Tester. Verifies that requirements are met. Creates test plans, executes runs, files defects, and links each test result back to the requirements it verifies.Review managers. Provides feedback through formal review sessions and inline approvals. Often a stakeholder from outside the core team — a customer, a safety officer, a regulator, or a senior engineer.<img src="https://cdn-assets.productfruits.com/648463de-68bc-4371-b77c-2e66c4fd2a7b" alt="" data-position="full" data-width="100%" data-height="auto" class="lexical-inline-image position-full" style="z-index: 20;">These are Visure's four default roles, but the model is configurable — a small team might have one person playing two or three roles, and a large project can add as many groups as needed (Safety Engineers, Suppliers, Compliance Officers, and so on). The next article briefly explains how that works under the hood.If you don't know which role you'll be doing, the activity at the end of this section will help you pick a path through the course.Read next: Roles, groups, and permissions in one minute · Where Visure fits in your toolchain

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