Overview

Rational ClearQuest helps the analyst effectively gather stakeholder requests by providing a complete and consistent enhancement request form. This form can be customized as needed for your development workplace. All requests are logged in a single central change request database. Internal stakeholders (team members) use the ClearQuest Windows or Web application to submit enhancement requests; external stakeholders can use the ClearQuest Web application. After enhancement requests have been submitted, the analyst can further qualify these requests by adding information to each request.

Tool Steps

This document contains the following steps:

1. Log enhancement requests using ClearQuest Web
2. Organize enhancement requests in ClearQuest Windows
3. Run queries

For detailed information regarding configuring and customizing ClearQuest forms, see the ClearQuest online help and the Rational ClearQuest Administrator's Guide.

1. Log enhancement requests using ClearQuest Web

ClearQuest provides a Web application that can be configured to provide restricted functionality to non-ClearQuest licensees. With restricted access, a ClearQuest Web user can submit change requests and is provided access to a single administrator-defined ClearQuest query. This unique feature allows key stakeholders who do not belong to the software team building the system to use the Web to provide feedback. Additionally, these stakeholders remain informed of the progress of the request and retrieve updated status by running the limited access query.

To file an enhancement request using ClearQuest Web:

1. Start your browser and type the ClearQuest Web URL. The ClearQuest Logon page appears.
2. Type your user name and password, and then click the Logon button. You are now connected to the ClearQuest database on the Web.
3. From the Table of Contents list on the left-hand side of the screen, locate the Operations heading and click the subheading Submit a Record. The Select record type page appears.
4. In the record type list, select Enhance Request and click the Submit button. The Submit Enhance Request form appears; it consists of three sections.
5. In the Main section, type information in the Headline, Origin, Customer Priority, and Description boxes.
6. In the Attachment section of the record, attach any available supporting information for the enhancement request by clicking the ADD button and linking to the external file.
7. In the third section of Contact Information, enter all applicable customer and submitter information (name, company, e-mail address).
8. Click OK. The enhancement request is created and added to the central database.

For detailed information regarding configuring ClearQuest Web to provide restricted functionality to non-ClearQuest licensees, see Editing Web Settings in the ClearQuest Web online Help.

2. Organize enhancement requests in ClearQuest Windows

After the enhancement request is submitted, ClearQuest provides additional fields organized by tabs to complement the originally submitted information on the record form. The Analysis tab, the Resolution tab, and the Notes tab allow the analyst to balance the submitter information with team-specific information, such as marketing priority and target release, for organizational purposes. The analyst uses this information to query the enhancement request database to determine which requests to implement in each release.

To organize enhancement requests using ClearQuest Windows:

1. Select the enhancement request and click Action > Modify on the right side of the Enhancement Request form. This activates the request and allows you to edit the record.
2. Click the Analysis tab to activate it.
3. Set values for each of the related fields by clicking the arrow in each box (Marketing Priority, Request Type, Product, Product Area, Target Release, and Owner) and selecting the required values. Note: These fields can be customized as needed.
4. When you have finished editing, click Apply to save the changes.

The enhancement requests can now be queried based on the set values.

To view additional information on organizing your enhancement requests, see the white paper Using Rational ClearQuest and Rational RequisitePro for Analysts, which is available in Let's Go AnalystStudio.

For information regarding queries and customizing fields, see the ClearQuest online Help.

3. Run queries

ClearQuest provides a powerful query interface that allows the analyst to query all defects and enhancement requests in the connected project. The following are queries that the analyst might find helpful in managing enhancement requests. The analyst might run the following queries:

1. Isolate those enhancement requests that are targeted for the specific release being addressed. Because not all enhancement requests received can be implemented in the current release, it is helpful to query all enhancement requests using the "Targeted Release" field. This query returns a working list of all enhancement requests that have been triaged and designated for the release indicated in the query.
2. List all enhancement requests that have not been associated with a requirement. This query aids the analyst in viewing those enhancement requests that are still under consideration, or in the queue, but have not yet been assigned to a specific software iteration.
3. Locate the number of occurrences or instances of the same enhancement request. This query assists the analyst in determining how many times an enhancement request has been submitted by stakeholders. This adds to the weighting process to determine the importance of the request to the stakeholders and the priority level.
4. Distinguish between true enhancement requests and requests for new functionality. This query shows the progress of the software development. Here the analyst can discern whether the majority of the enhancement requests are to fix existing functionality or if they require the addition of new features to the current product.

The analyst can easily link approved current version enhancement requests with valid requirements in the requirement database using the ClearQuest and RequisitePro integration.

For more information on creating queries in ClearQuest, see the ClearQuest online Help.

For More Information

For information regarding ClearQuest and RequisitePro integration, see the tool mentor Managing Stakeholder Requests Using Rational ClearQuest and Rational RequisitePro and the manual titled Getting Started: Rational Suite AnalystStudio.