Purpose
Teams monitor this metric to understand whether project test labs or machines are used effectively. High utilization
confirms that sufficient testing activities are taking place.
Definition
Calculate percentage utilization of each machine or system in test lab. Group by operating system.
Analysis
A good way to monitor Test Lab Utilization over time is to use a trend line. Plot utilization percentage on the Y axis
and iterations on the X axis.
Expected trend - Utilization should increase over time as project activity ramps up and there are more
product features to test.
Ongoing low utilization - If utilization is low, necessary test activities may not be happening. This
could indicate problems with obtaining testable builds, resources to run tests, or problems with test environment
itself.
Uneven utilization - When this trend occurs, the team may be able to increase test effectiveness by
better distributing test efforts across environments. If the environments differ, uneven distribution may indicate one
platform or environment is under-tested; depending on its importance, you may want to increase testing there, or
repurpose that machine to a different platform/environment.
Frequency and reporting
Test Lab Utilization should be reviewed at the end of each iteration to identify trends.
Collection and reporting tools
IBM® Rational® Quality Manager® and IBM® Rational® ClearQuest Test Manager® capture the data for and report
on this metric.
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