Tool Mentor: Communicating the Test Project Status using IBM Rational Quality Manager
This tool mentor focuses on test reporting and how to communicate appropriately the project status to the team using RQM.
Tool: IBM Rational Quality Manager
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Main Description

Tool Steps

1. Capture Status against Test Plan

There are multiple reports that can help you capture the status against a test plan. The Test Progress Report is an essential element for tracking the current status of a specific test plan. The execution status reports are also a good source of information to capture status against a test plan. The Execution Trend Report in particular will give you a good understanding of your actual execution progress versus planned execution progress.

2. Communicate Testing Issues to Development Team

In order to communicate the test planning issues to the development team, you must create a new section in that test plan for Testing Issues and Recommendations for the Development Team.

  1. Create a new section in a test plan;  refer to the following RQM online topic: Testing > Planning the test effort > Creating test plans.
  2. To provide all the needed information to the development team, attach the saved reports to the newly created section.  Refer to the following RQM online topic: Testing > Planning test effort > Attaching documents
  3. If needed, export the relevant information in an appropriate format for the Development Team to review. You can export any RQM reports in a multitude of file formats.

3. Hold Test Effort Review Meetings with Development Team

After each of the subsequent test effort review meetings with the development team, you must update the Testing Issues section of the test plan. If there is to much content to add to that section, you may create an external text file that you will attach to the test plan. To attach an external document to a test plan,  please refer to the following RQM online topic: Testing > Planning test  effort >  Attaching documents.

4. Provide Development Team with Test Reports on a Timely Basis

For more information on how to provide, on a timely basis, the development team with the required reports (test reports, test evaluation summaries, defect status reports, test coverage reports and test environment reports),  please refer to the appropriate RQM online topics.