Guideline: Integrating DOORS and RQM
This guideline describes the benefits of the OSLC-based integration between the IBM Rational DOORS and the IBM Rational Quality Manager by using a typical workflow.
Relationships
Related Elements
Main Description

Introduction

The new OSLC-based RQM/DOORS integration addresses the needs of the practitioners in the Requirements domain (Requirements Engineers, Analysts) and Testing domain (Testers, Test Managers) by directly supporting a requirements-driven quality management solution. This solution enables:

  • The Requirements Engineer / Analyst to focus on delivering testable requirements with fully defined qualification criteria
  • The Tester to focus on developing tests against a known set of requirements
  • Release Management to be performed based on requirement quality measures rather than on statistics of test pass/failure

In summary, these are the main roles targeted by this solution and their specific focus:

  • Requirements Engineer / Analyst
    • A DOORS user principally interested in Requirements Management
    • Specifies Qualification Criterion that must be met by testing
    • Needs to know that requirements are tested
    • Performs Impact Analysis to cover requirements and test
    • Wants to be involved with Release Review Boards
    • Wants to review test results in the context of the original requirements 
  • Tester / Test Manager 
    • An RQM user principally interested in Test Management and execution
    • Uses the Qualification Criterion as test requirements
    • Needs to be involved with Requirements Review
    • Establishes traceability from test artifacts to requirements
    • Test failure investigation
    • Creates Requirements Change Requests, possibly to change qualification criterion

Overview of the RQM/DOORS Solution

Tool prerequisites:

  • DOORS 9.4 and RQM 4.0
    • DOORS provides OSLC RM 2.0 services and uses OSLC QM 2.0 services
    • RQM provides QM 2.0 services and uses OSLC RM 2.0 services
  • To use OSLC with DOORS, DOORS Web Access 1.5 (DWA) must be installed

                                      Figure 1: RQM/DOORS Integration Overview

The main capabilities of this integration are:

  • Tracing test artifacts to requirements, and viewing the connected data
  • Running reports to see test coverage and test results
  • If applicable, automated migration of data from the existing point-to-point solution

A few examples of these new features are presented below:

                                         Figure 2: End-to-end visual validation in a single view

                                         Figure 3: OSLC links between requirements and test cases

                  Figure 4: Rich Hover and Compact Rendering

Requirements-Driven Test Scenario

In this section, a typical workflow is used to demostrate the new RQM/DOORS integration features. The main roles are the Requirements Engineer (working in DOORS) and the Tester (using RQM).

  Step 1: The Requirements Engineer captures the requirements in DOORS

  Step 2: The Tester sees the requirements in RQM

  Step 3: The Tester develops test cases to test the requirements

  Step 4: The Requirements Engineer checks test coverage in DOORS

  Step 5: The Tester executes the test cases

  Step 6: The Requirements Enginer checks the test status in DOORS

Summary

  • Requirements driven testing is enabled with the new OSLC-based DOORS/RQM integration
  • Better visibility of requirement and test data increases system quality
    • The test team using RQM can easily view the test requirements and qualification criteria created by the requirements team using DOORS
    • The requirements team using DOORS can easily ensure test coverage of requirements, and also see the executed test results
  • Tests based on requirements ensure deliverables meet customer expectations