Day 8 - HP ALM- Risk Based Quality Management ( RBQM)

Risk Based Quality Management(RBQM)
                This is the mathematical calculation to calculate at which level all the requirements has to be tested. This calculation is based on the following factors

• Nature of the requirements.
• Resource available.

Each requirement type with risk based quality management enabled can support either

• Risk Analysis  ( calculation done for the parent requirement based on the child's result)
• Risk Assessment  (calculation done for individual child requirement) 

Analysis Requirement

              This is used to determine the testing effort and testing strategy based on the child requirement assessment result.

Assessment Requirement

• An assessment requirement is a child children of analysis requirements and at a lower level in the requirements tree hierarchy.  Assessment compressed of following two

• Risk------- Business criticality and failure probability.
• Functional complexity.

     Risk

        To  calculate the risk for the assessment requirement you have to calculate

•        Business criticality.
•        Failure probability.

      Possible values for the Risk are

• 1 - High.
• 2 - Medium.
• 3 - Low. 

    Business criticality

           This is to measure how crucial(important) a requirement is for the business. Possible values are

•     A - Critical.
•     B - Important.
•     C - Nice to have.

   Failure probability

            This will indicate how much possible a test based on the requirement is to fail. Possible values are

• 1 - High.
• 2 - Medium.
• 3 - Low. 

   Functional complexity
            This will indicate the complexity of the requirement's implementation. possible values are

• 1 - High.
• 2 - Medium.
• 3 - Low. 

Steps for assess the risk
           Before calculating the requirement analysis you got to calculate the requirement assessment. Because analysis is based on the assessment result.

1. Assess requirement.
2. Define testing policy setting.
3. Finalize the teasing policy.
4. Analyze the testing strategy based on assessment.

Assess requirement
             To access the risk assessment in the ALM window follow the steps below

• Select the requirement module in the ALM window.
• Select the child requirement with RBQM enabled.
• Click the "Risk Assessment" tab in the requirement details view( view>Requirement details)

Risk assessment tab

Click the Assessment Questions tab. The following sub-tabs are displayed

• Business Criticality.
• Failure Probability.
• Functional Complexity. 

In each sub-tab, assign values to the set of criteria.  You can also ignore assigning the values to set the criteria, and  instead use a custom value. To assign values directly to each category, click the Assessment Results tab. Calculate the risk and functional complexity for each and every child requirement under the requirement analysis.

Define testing policy setting
           After calculating the requirement for each and every child requirement. It is time to set the testing policy according to the assessment result. To set the testing policy

• 1. In the requirements tree, select the analysis requirement( parent requirement). Click the Risk Analysis tab.
     

    

                   

Day 7 - HP ALM - Convert requirement to test

After creating the Requirements, you are ready to convert them to test plans. You need a permission or privilege  to create a test. Two methods to convert requirements to tests.

•   Convert to test
•   Generate test

Convert to test


                       Requirement--------------> Test

            Coverage is automatically created between requirements and their corresponding test. By default converting the following requirement type to test is disabled.

• Business type Requirements
• Folder type requirements
• Group type requirements 

   By changing the setting from site administrator, you can able to convert these requirements types to tests.

    Steps for convert to test


          To access this option right click the requirement which you want to convert to test from requirement module. 

• Choose an automatic conversion method.

                     Select any one of the option in "choose an automatic conversion method" page wizard.

                   

• Manual changes to the automatic conversion page.

                            Enables you to manually set the requirement to subject, test, test steps, step description                                     in test plan tree. You can exclude the requirement from converting to test by clicking - icon in "manual changes to automatic conversion" page wizard .

• Choose the destination subject path page.

                            Enables you to define the destination subject path in test plan tree.

Generate Test


        Requirement -----------> Test( in Test Plan module) ----------->Test Sets(in Test Lab)


     To access this option right click the requirement which you want to convert to test from requirement module. By default the test name will be  same name as requirement.

Day 6 - HP ALM - Requirement modification

Copying a Requirement

           Once the Requirements are created. You may want to copy the Requirements to other projects or to the same project  which use the some similar requirements. While copying the requirements in ALM you got to know the following

•  Root folder cannot be copied.
•  Test coverage is not copied.
•  Defect linkage is not copied.
•  Risk Based Quality Management ( RBQM) is not copied.

When the requirement is copied the following will be copied 

•  Traceability.
•  Associated Requirements.

When you name the copied requirement with the existing requirement name

                 

                                    Suffix_Copy will be added automatically.

Example:

          

            When you are trying to name the copied requirement with Login which is already exsist in your project. So ALM will be automatically add Login_Copy to the name of the copied requirement.

Moving a Requirement


                 Once you created your requirement sometimes you may want to move the requirement from one folder to another. While following the requirement also moves the following items

•  Child Requirements.
•  Test Coverage.
•  Requirement Traceability link.
•  Defect linkage.

        Root folder cannot be moved. You can drag the requirement other than a root folder to its new location.

Delete a Requirement

                   While deleting a created requirement also deltas the following items

•   Child requirements.
•   Test coverage.
•   Requirement traceability.
•   Defect linkage.

           Root folder cannot be deleted. Deleting a requirement, deletes all the previous versions in version controlled projects.

Naming the requirement


                    While naming the requirement the following special characters cannot be included.

                                                              \ ^ *

Day 5 - HP ALM-Creating requirements

Requirements can be viewed in different view in requirement module. Requirement view is as follows

• Requirement tree view (View in hierarchical tree)
• Requirement details view(to create linkage between requirements and other entities)
• Requirement grid view(flat non-hierarchical view)
• Coverage analysis view(analyze the breakdown of child requirement according to test coverage)
• Traceability matrix view(to view traceability between requirements and test in a matrix form)

Steps in requirement module

1. Create requirement
2. Import requirement
3. Update requirement
4. Convert requirement to test

1. Create requirement

•    In requirement module, under view menu select requirement tree view.
•    Click the root folder and select new folder to hold your requirements.
•    Right click the requirement folder and select new requirement.

For example in the picture below Requirement folder is the root folder which you can not delete nor copy. Mercury tour application is the name of your application under test. Online Travel Booking Services, Online Travel Information Source, Profile Management, Reservation Management, Booking System, Application Security, Application Usability, Application Client System and Application Performance are your major requirements.

Major requirements

After creating the major requirement folder, create your sub-requirements folders which holds your detailed requirements.

Detailed requirements

2. Import requirements

              You can import requirements from MS Word, MS Excel, third party requirement management tool instead of creating requirements in requirement module. To import the requirements you need to have appropriate add-in installed in your machine.

3. Update requirements

              For each requirement, you can update its details for farther understanding about the requirements, you can attach attachments and rich text documents. To do this right click a requirement and select requirement details option to open the requirement details dialogue box.

4. Convert requirement to test


              You can use your requirements to assist you to create tests in test plan module. There are two options to convert requirement to test from requirement module. They are

•  Convert to test
•  Generate test

    Convert to test

             

               This option is used to convert your requirements to test subject(test folder), test(sub-division), test steps(steps for particular test), test description(comments about particular test) in test plan module.

    Generate test

                Use this option to convert your requirements to tests in a specified subject in the test plan tree and a specified test set in the test lab module.

• 
  

              

Day 4- HP ALM- Traceability

What is traceability?
       Traceability means relationship between two or more similar type of entities.

Requirement traceability
           Next step is to create the traceability between requirements, by doing this helps to show you the requirement which is going to be affected by changing the other requirement. Relationship between two or more requirements are stored in traceability matrix.

                                                                        Traceability
                                           Requirement  <------------------------> Requirement

Traceability Matrix

Requirement traceability

Trace from Tab

    Indicates requirements that affects the selected requirement.

Trace to Tab 

    Indicates selected requirement affects the other requirements.


Risk based quality management (RBQM) [ this functionality is not available for QC  starter edition]

         This a mathematical calculation  to calculate the level at which  requirements has to be tested. You generally do not have unlimited resources available,and are not able to fully test every requirement(due to time constraint). You must take compromise and only partially test requirements that have low criticality to the business, or those that have only a minor risk associated with their implementation. This calculation is is based on following entities

•     Nature of the requirement
•     Resource availability

  As i said before requirements are grouped in a hierarchical tree structure. Requirement type which is enabled with Risk Based Quality Management(RBQM) is comprised of

• Risk analysis (Analyzation is done for higher level requirement in requirement tree,e.g., req.folder)
• Risk Assessment ( Assessment is done for the lower level requirements,i.e Child requirements)

We can go little deeper in to RBQM later.

                         
                                   

Day 3- HP ALM Introduction to requirements

Let 's get into modules and start exploring Requirement module first.

What are requirements?

Requirements are the details what need to be resolved/achieved to meet the objectives (from the business users) of your application, which is under development. Business analyst documents these requirements.

 Defining the requirements clearly helps

1.       Provide stakeholders (business) guidelines of the priority.

2.       Set clear expectation between stakeholders.

3.       Cut waste and eliminates unnecessary expense.

Requirement module

     Requirement module will helps you to

• Define the requirement
• Manage the requirement
• Track the requirement

        Requirement scope          
                   

           Determine the requirement scope by gathering following items

• Functional specification
• Technical specification
• Marketing requirement    
• Business requirement
• Stakeholders goal

                     

Requirement scopes are defined in hierarchical framework by creating the requirement tree.  Requirements are grouped by functional and requirement type.  Each group has list of detailed requirements.  Requirement ID (unique alphanumeric ID) is created automatically by ALM when the requirement is created. Requirement ID cannot be modified.   Requirement can have attachments andrich text documents for details. Requirements can be assigned with priorities.  Based on the priorities test plans will be generated.
   
        Requirement types

•      Business type (coverage is added automatically)
•      Folder type (to organize the requirement, coverage cannot be added to this folder)
•      Functional type (system behavioral requirement)
•      Group type (Collection of related requirement)
•      Testing type (System performance requirement)
•       Business model (requirement representing the business model)
•       Undefined (undefined entity)              

     
        Requirement priority level


             Level 1        -        Low priority
             Level 2        -        Medium priority
             Level 3        -        High priority
             Level 4        -        Very high priority
             Level 5        -         Urgent priority

        Import business model (business work flow in form of flow chart)


            This functionality is not available in Quality Center starter edition and ALM performance center edition.  To analyze the quality of your business model, import model created by standard modeling tool.  Business model requirement for the imported business model i s created automatically, and you cannot change the requirement type for the business model requirement.

         Import requirement

              Requirements can be imported from

•    M/S Word
•    M/S Excel
•    Third party requirement management tools

Analyze requirements

            To ensure that requirements meet the requirement scope, requirements should be reviewed by administrator.  Status of the requirements will be

•    Reviewed
•    Not reviewed

Day 2- HP ALM-Installation

For hands on experience ALM(QC v11) is available for free installation @
http://www8.hp.com/us/en/software/software-product.html?compURI=tcm:245-937045

This is available with HP Passport Sign-in.  This is a QC 11 starter Edition(with limited
ALM(QC 11)functionality).

Because ALM is a web based application management software.  Installation will automatically installs following options in your system

• JBOSS Application server
• JBOSS web server
• SQL ( Data base)

After installation ALM is opened through Internet Explorer(IE) by typing the server name and port name or directly accessing the ALM icon from(start >programs >HP ALM platform >ALM platform)

ALM Window

ALM  Site Administrator (SA)

           ALM project is created from ALM administration login to be used by other ALM user.

     Privileges

•    Create project and domain
•    Create/manage users, Connection, licenses
•    Define database
•    Modify configuration

Project Administrator(PA)


           Has full privileges over ALM project.

    Privileges

•   Customize project entities
•   Set up user groups and permissions
•   Configure mail
•   Set alert rules
•   Configure workflow (project sequence)

ALM users are grouped by user groups and projects are grouped by domains.  Each user groups has different access privileges (like control over the project).

ALM users

•   Business Analyst
•   QA Manager
•   Developer
•   Tester  

After creating the project and users ( to access the project) from site administration, login to ALM platform with user name created from site administration.  Select the default domain and project created from site administration.  ALM window is opened with domain name,project name and user name displayed on the top  right side corner of the ALM window.

ALM window has

•   Masthead (with navigation buttons)
•   Sidebar (left side where modules are displayed)

Modules

•    Dashboard
•    Management
•    Requirement
•    Testing
•    Defect 

                

Day 1 - HP ALM Introduction

              ALM-Application Lifecycle Management (known as Quality Center  v11)

Introduction

         ALM (Application Lifecycle Management) is a software developed by the company Hewlett Packard(HP).  Initially Quality Center was owned by Mercury Interactive Corporation later acquired by HP.  HP ALM software is used for Quality Assurance purpose and earlier version is named as Quality Center v10.  ALM enables application users to manage the application throughout its lifecycle.

Application (Project) Lifecycle

         Requirements---> Development---> Testing---> Defect Management---> Deployment
        (from business)    (IT developer)   (QA Tester)      ( IT and Tester)                  (IT)

Quality Assurance

         Quality Assurance is the set of procedures to determine whether application meets the user's expectation (Requirements).

ALM Editions

• HP ALM Edition(includes all the functionality with Project Planning and Tacking(PPT))
• QC Starter Edition (Basic) 
• QC Enterprise Edition (for small scale projects)  
• ALM Performance Center Edition (for large scale performance testing and resource                       allocation projects)

Functionality of ALM

• Crucial Visibility of the Application
• Predictability
• Repeatability
• Adaptable Delivery

 Phases Of ALM

• Management         
• Requirements
• Test plan
• Test lab
• Defects