Micro Focus Quality Center Tutorial (Day 6) – Defect Management

Micro Focus Quality Center/ALM, formerly known as HP Quality Center/ALM, maintains the same functionality and relevance, despite the change in branding.

This tutorial series has guided us through the creation of Releases, Cycles, Requirements tests, and test sets in ALM. We have also looked at how to create logical connections among these entities to make metric gathering and traceability inherent in our testing procedure.

=> Click Here For The ALM Quality Center Tutorial Series

In the Test Lab, we conduct tests. If a test is successful, all is well. But if it doesn’t, a reason lies behind it. Any departure from the expected result is considered a defect.

Moreover, defects can encompass:

• Discrepancies between expected and actual outcomes
• Mistakes in documentation
• Un-testable requirements that need to be reported and monitored
• Failures within the testing environment

QC provides a flexible system for generating and monitoring all forms of defects. In the steps that follow, we’ll examine how Defect Tracking is facilitated through ALM.

How to Add a Defect to ALM

Step #1: Access ALM and navigate to the “Defects” tab under the chosen project via the sidebar. The list of defects in the project will be displayed here.

Step #2: Click “New Defect” and provide the necessary details. The required fields are outlined in red.

[Note: Click on any image for a zoomed-in view]

Step #3: Choose the type of defect.

Step #4: Select the severity level.

Step #5: Complete the rest of the details and describe the defect in the “Description” box. File attachments are also an option. This dialog box offers additional project-specific details through the other tabs.

Step #6: The newly created defect will now appear in the list, accompanied by a unique ID.

Step #7: You can amend the status of the defect.

Step #8: You can assign it to a different user.

Step #9: To link this defect to another or establish a link, go to “Linked Entities” via the left sidebar and select the other defect that is causing or being affected by this one.

How to Connect a Defect to a Test Case

Step #1: Head over to the Test Lab tab, select the test that failed, and the associated defect.

Step #2: Click on “Linked Defects”. Here, a new defect can be added, or an existing one linked by selecting this icon: If you decide to link an existing defect, follow the previously mentioned steps, and the defect will be linked.

Step #3: If the defect has already been created, choose the following icon: to link it.

Step #4: Input the ID and press “Link”. The defect then becomes linked.

Step #5: You can view the connected defect in the Test Plan and the Requirements.

This wraps up the comprehensive process from Release to defects.

For more guidance on how to draft a good defect report, refer to this sample defect report.

Key Points to Remember

#1) In the third tutorial, we were shown how to add a new cycle under a release, a task primarily related to testing. Similarly, you can add a “New Milestone” to represent a specific phase in your project management tasks.

#2) Although ALM is a tool for test management, it is also usable by development and support teams. This allows them to update the status of defects.

#3) Attachments aren’t necessary when creating defects, though it’s recommended to include screenshots whenever relevant and feasible.

#4) The required fields for creating a defect may vary from one project to another and are defined by your administrator.

#5) Your administrator also defines the drop-down values for other fields.

Conclusion

You are now equipped with the necessary knowledge to use QC for managing your tests. Your next move is to explore its analytical features and incorporate them to make test reporting and metric collection an integral part of your QA processes.

In the subsequent and last tutorial, we shall discuss the “Dashboard” sidebar option that facilitates these tasks.

Don’t forget to visit and bookmark our initial Quality Center tutorial page where all tutorials in this series have been compiled.

=> Go Here For The ALM Quality Center Tutorial Series

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