Users consider IBM Rational Quality Manager to be a very valuable web-based collaboration tool.
Throughout the entire development process, the solution provides users with:
- Test artifact management
- Test construction
- Test planning
The solution helps users:
- Share information seamlessly
- Use automation to accelerate project schedules
- Report on metrics for informed release decisions
IBM Rational Quality Manager includes every role:
- Test manager
- Test architect
- Lab manager
- Tester
- Test lead
- Various roles outside the established test organization
The top industries that use IBM Rational Quality Manager include:
- Information Technology and Services
- Computer Software
- Financial Services
- Government Administration
- Insurance
- Hospital and Healthcare
- Telecommunications
- Banking
- Retail
- Defense and Space
Some of the solution’s benefits that users like most include:
- Seamless integration with IBM RTC and IBM RM
- Can be integrated with IBM Rational automation, performance, and security testing tools, which provides an easy way to schedule or execute the scripts from the RQM console. Results are linked with test plans.
- Provides a lab management facility, which helps to maintain, allocate, and monitor testing assets like test servers, devices, etc.
- Offers an easy way to manage multiple test execution cycles.
Some of the solution’s features that users find most helpful are:
- Customizable design and construction: Each test case can be defined. Every test case contains a robust text editor, which can include background data concerning the test case. Test cases can include links to developmental requirements and items. They can also include test artifacts, such as test scripts, test case execution processes, and test plans. Test cases can also be integrated with test suites.
- Intuitive reporting: The solution has predefined reports so users can gain a comprehensive status of all their projects. IBM Rational Quality Manager also includes Development Intelligence and Rational Insight features, allowing for additional reports that can be customized. Each of these help users discover test artifacts relationships, requirements in the traceability view, as well as development artifacts.
- Test planning: With the solution’s exhaustive test planning, users can drive all activity through each component of the project’s lifecycle.
Top test plan tasks include (but are not limited to):
- Definition of test and business objectives.
- Evaluate the size of the test effort.
- Define different environments to test and develop test configurations.
- Develop entrance criteria, exit criteria, and overall quality goals.
- Create a review and approval process for the test plan and/or individual test cases.
- View real-time test progress.
- Security: With its IBM AppScan Tester, IBM Rational Quality Manager is capable of protecting against attack threats and data breaches. This can help achieve higher quality and more secure applications with greater positive outcomes at a very reasonable competitive cost.
- Collaboration: Data can be shared among teams with the solution’s Collaboration Lifecycle Management (CLM). Additionally, users can assign tasks and track one another’s progress. Whatsmore is they can circulate their work and can view input from each reviewer as it is received. Users are also able to lock artifacts, restricting others from editing them.
- Governance: Users appreciate that IBM Rational Quality Manager can ensure that they are in compliance with industry, department, corporate, regional, as well as government regulations and standards. The solution can correlate test processes and also generate records of testing results and project history in order to comply with auditing processes.
As with any solution, IBM Rational Quality Manager also has its drawbacks.
- Users mention that the user interface and user experience could be improved.
- There is no defect management.
- It doesn’t provide built-in functionality for requirements. Requirement modules need to be purchased separately.
- Users feel integration with automated scripts should be easier.
- Some features depend on IBM RTC.
- It does not have a query builder like in RTC, where a user could define its criteria and see the results easily. There is some mechanism to filter the results while you browse test plans and test cases. However, users say it is not very user friendly.
