Creating test schedules

You can establish a test schedule by associating a test plan with iterations from a project area or team area timeline. You can also list key project dates, such as the date of the final release, code freeze, UI freeze, beta entry, or beta exit.

Before you begin

Test plan schedules are defined as iterations and timelines in the Jazz process, and as a result, test plan authors must have permission to create and modify iterations. This permission is applied at the Project Configuration level. You can find this permission in the Process section of Permitted Actions. The specific permission that is required is named Modify the iteration structure. Optionally, you can create a test plan author role and assign this permission to that role. Otherwise, all of the Process permissions are enabled for the Test Team Member role by default.

About this task

If a team area is associated with a particular timeline, you can select the team area in the test plan and associate the test plan schedule with the iterations in that timeline. For more information, see Timelines and Iterations in Rational Quality Manager.

Note: If you want to create and use multiple timelines or associate a timeline with a team area, in the Project Properties, you must enable team areas and support for multiple timelines.

Procedure

  1. Open a test plan.

    If team areas are enabled and a team area is associated with a timeline, you can associate the test plan with a team area by selecting a team area from the list.

    Team Area field in test plan

  2. Open the Test Schedules section of the test plan.
  3. Click Browse.
  4. In the Browse window, select an iteration and click OK.

    The test schedule is populated with the selected iteration and its child iterations as shown in the following image:

    Test schedule
    Tip: To get multiple iterations in the test schedule, you must define a hierarchy of iterations. In the previous example, the iteration (4.0) represents a release and the child iterations (M1, M2, and so on) represent iterations or milestones within the release.
  5. When the iterations are displayed in the test schedule, select an iteration, and in the Actions column, click the Edit (Edit) icon.

    The Edit Properties window opens as shown in the following image:

    Test Schedule: Edit Properties

    Note: The planned start and end dates are inherited from the dates in the timeline, as are the actual dates that are shown in brackets next to the iteration name. Initially, the planned dates and actual dates are identical. To update the actual dates, use the timeline editor. When you make updates in the timeline editor, the new dates are reflected in the iteration name. The planned dates do not change. If you need to change the planned dates, make that change in the test schedule, not the timeline editor.

    Planned Start and End Dates

  6. Provide the detailed iteration properties.
    1. In the Description field, type a description for the iteration.
    2. In the Points field, type a points value, which is an estimate of the execution effort for the iteration.
      Alternatively, you can provide more detailed information about the distribution of these points over time in the Plan Details window. See step 7.
    3. In the Planned Defects field, type the number of projected defects.
    4. In the Defect Validity Rate field, type the number of defects that are determined valid.
    5. If necessary, click the planned start date and use the calendar to select the date.
      Note: If you did not initially supply a planned end date, supply one now.
    6. Click OK to save the iteration properties.
    7. Repeat for each iteration in the schedule.
    8. Click Save to save the schedule.
  7. Optional: You can click the Plan Details (Plan Details) icon to estimate the work to be done and distribute points over the iteration. The plan details are reflected in the Planned Attempted and Planned Complete points on the Execution Trend report. Point estimates that you enter in this window will override the points value that you previously provided for the iteration.
    • To automatically distribute points over an iteration, click the Auto Generation icon.
    • To manually distribute points over an iteration, Click the Add Row (Add table row) icon, and type the estimated values for the date, the points to be attempted by that date, and the points to be completed by that date. Add new rows for each date, and then click OK.
    Execution Progress Planning - Plan Details

    To learn more on test plan iteration, see this video.

  8. List key project dates:
    1. Click the Add Key Dates icon (Add) to add a date that you want to track in the test plan.
    2. Repeat the previous step for each date to include.
    3. Click Save to save the schedule.
    4. Update the dates as needed as the project evolves.