Quality Center Introduction

Quality Center :

1) Quality Center is a TEST MANAGEMENT TOOL.
2) It is topped up version of Mercury Test Director
3) Quality Center offers an organized framework for testing applications.
4) It is a web based tool which manages all aspects of testing process which otherwise is a time consuming task.
5) It helps to maintain project database of tests that cover all aspects of application functionality.
6) Later on, if a test requirement changes, you can immediately identify the affected test cases and defects.



Test Management Process:
Why Quality Center?
1) One Step shop for all testing related tasks
2) Coherence of different tasks
3) Better analysis and management
4) Easier to track

Different Tabs in Quality Center
1) Requirement
2) Business process Tab (BPT)
3) Test Plan
4) Test Lab
5) Defect
6) Dashboard




Requirements Module:
1) Requirement module is used to store all the requirements related to testing project
2) Requirement are specified in Quality Center by creating a requirement tree.
3) Requirement tree is a graphical representation of requirements specifications.
4) Requirements  can be grouped, sorted and monitored in the requirements pane.
5) Requirements can also be linked to tests created in Test Plan module, defects in Defect module.


Test Plan Module:
1) After the requirements are base lined and Test Strategy is determined, Test Plan begins.
2) Test Plan module is used to keep all data related to test planning e.g. Test Plan and Test Cases in Quality Center.
3) A Test Plan Tree is graphical representation of Test Plan, displaying your tests according to a hierarchical relationship of their functions.
      This phase starts with developing a test plan tree in the test plan module where scope items/work Request/Testing units are mapped as subjects.
Subjects ----> Tests ----> Test Step
Requirements and Test Steps can be linked
Once Test Planning is complete, tests can be automated using HP tools.
Things can be done in Test Plan Module:
1) Develop a Test Plan Tree
2) Designing Test Scripts
3) Copy Test Steps
4) Linking Tests with requirements
5) Generating Automated Scripts.


Test Lab Module:
1) Test Lab module is used to run the Test Cases.
2) The Test run process begins with creating the Test set Tree and then running the test.
3) Initially a Test Set Folder is created.
4) Depending on the Testing goals you can add Tests to the Test Set Folder
5) Test Sets can include both manual and automated Tests.
6) You can include the same Test in different Test Sets or add a few Test instances to the same Test Set
7) You set the date and time of execution of the Test Sets.


Defects Module:
In Defects Module, we log defect.
Creating Favorite Views
1) You can create favorite view in Quality Center window with the settings you have applied to it, for example in defects grid, you may want to apply a filter to defects detected by you or assigned to you.
2) A favorite view can be public or private 
3) Private favorite is visible to you.
4) Public favorite is visible to all Quality Center users.


Why Requirement Traceability is required?
1) Evolving Requirement:- If requirements change, it is important to identify when and why they changed so the QA team can change their Test Plan accordingly.
2) Coverage:- To ensure the QA team has covered all the requirements in their tests. This is essentially important when new requirements are added later in the project.
3) System Maintenance :- If a Tester who has developed Test Cases without using traceability leaves the organization how would the replacing tester come to know which requirements the test cases came from?


Tracing Changes
1) You can instruct QC to create alerts automatically and send email to notify those responsible when changes occurs in the project that may impact testing process.
2) Tracing can be achieved in two ways 
--> Automatic Alerts
--> Follow up Alerts
Automatic Alerts:-  
1. To generate automatic traceability alerts, QC project administrator must activate traceability notification rules in project customization. 
2. Traceability notification rules are based on association you make in Quality Center between requirements, tested and defects. When an entity in your project changes, you are notified of any associated entities that may be impacted by the change.
Traceability alert could be generated
1. When a requirement change the designers of associated tests are notified.
2. When a requirement changes and it has associated tests all project users are notified
3. When the status of a defect changes to 'Fixed', the responsible tester of the test instance is notified.
4. When a tests runs successfully the users assigned to the associated defects are notified.
Example:
1. Say priority of a requirement is changed from low to urgent 
2. When the tester logins against the test for which the requirement is changed, he/she sees an red colored exclamation mark signifying a change in requirement.
3. When the tester clicks the trace changes flag!, the trace changes dialog box opens stating the requirements have changed.
Follow up alerts:-
1. You can use follow up flags to remind yourself to follow up on something.
2. You can set follow up flags for
-- a test in the test plan tree or test grid.
-- a test instance in the execution grid.
-- a defect in the defects grid.


Analyzing Test Process:-
Progress of the requirements, test plan, test runs and defect tracking can be evaluated by using Quality Center reports and graphs. You can generate reports and graphs at any time during the testing process in Quality Center.
Following are the three methods for this purpose:
1) Generating Reports
2) Generating Graphs
3) Generating Live Analysis Graphs


Generating Reports and Graphs:-
1) Quality Center Reports and Graphs help in analysis and quick decisions
2) Standard Reports and Graphs are available in each module like summary, progress or trend.
3) Reports and Graphs can be customized as per the requirement.


Live Analysis:-
1) You can create live analysis to provide a dynamic and quick visual overview of all tests in the test subject folder or test set folder.
2) Live analysis differs from other graphs, in that you do not have to recreate the graph to view data that has changed. Hence the name "Live"
3) Also the layout and settings of the graphs are preserved when you select another folder in the same module.