ClearQuest

Foundations

Change Management

The disciplined process of requesting, evaluating, approving, and tracking changes and defects throughout a project.

ClearQuest

IBM Rational's configurable change and defect tracking system used to manage change requests across the lifecycle.

Defect Tracking

Recording, prioritizing, assigning, and resolving software defects so quality issues are managed to closure.

Why Track Changes

Tracking gives visibility, accountability, and traceability, ensuring changes and defects are handled and not lost.

Core Concepts

Change Request (CR)

A record capturing a requested change, enhancement, or defect, with the information needed to manage it.

Record Type

A configurable category of record (e.g., defect, enhancement, task) each with its own fields and workflow.

Fields and Attributes

The data captured on a record — priority, severity, owner, status — used to manage and report on it.

Priority and Severity

Priority reflects urgency of handling; severity reflects impact of the issue. Together they guide triage.

Workflow

State Model / Lifecycle

The defined states a record moves through (e.g., submitted, assigned, resolved, verified, closed) and allowed transitions.

State Transition

A move from one state to another triggered by an action, often with rules and required fields.

Assignment and Ownership

Designating who is responsible for a record at each stage so work progresses and is accountable.

Triage

Reviewing incoming records to validate, prioritize, and route them to the right owners.

Resolution and Verification

Resolving a change or defect and then verifying the fix before closing the record.

Queries & Reports

Queries

Saved searches that filter records by fields to find and monitor relevant work.

Charts and Reports

Visual summaries of record data — such as defect trends and status — to inform decisions.

Dashboards

Consolidated views of key metrics and queries for tracking project health at a glance.

Metrics

Measures like open/closed rates, aging, and defect density used to manage quality and progress.

Customization

Schema

The configurable definition of record types, fields, states, and rules that shapes how ClearQuest behaves.

Configurable Workflow

Tailoring the state model, fields, and rules to fit an organization's change-management process.

Integration

Integration with ClearCase

Linking change requests to code changes for end-to-end traceability between what changed and why.

UCM Integration

Connecting ClearQuest activities to ClearCase UCM so work items drive and record code changes.

Traceability

Linking requirements, changes, code, and tests so the impact and history of any change is clear.

Best Practices

Change Management Best Practices

Clear workflows, disciplined triage, accurate data, and traceability to deliver quality and control change.

Closing the Loop

Ensuring every change request is resolved, verified, and closed so nothing falls through the cracks.