User roles

Users of a Rational® ClearQuest® ALM user database work with specific types of tasks and activities based on roles.

The ALM schema allows each organization to choose their own role names and what process steps each role may perform. The following section describes a typical set of software development roles and the process by which they typically work.

Throughout the duration of a project, many activities must be performed to ensure that all required work is completed. The work records contained in the ALMWork package provide a way of keeping track of the tasks and issues that your team needs to address during the development cycle. The ALM schema provides Request, Task, and Activity record types that are the primary record types for managing work.

All work begins with a Request of some form. A Request can have one or more Tasks associated with it, and each Task can have one or more Activities associated with it.

Request: A Request allows anyone to submit requests for change, such as a request for a new feature (enhancement) or to report a defect.
Task: A Task commits a team to act on a Request within the context of a specific project. Multiple tasks can be associated to a Request. For example, many tasks may be required to complete a single Request. Alternatively, a single Request might be addressed in more than one project.
Activity: Each Activity represents one unit of work that is assigned to an individual. Multiple Activities that are assigned to different user roles can be associated to a Task.

Each of these work record types can have more specific ALM work types defined to further refine the nature of the work.

While the Request describes the change request and is owned by any stakeholder on the project, Tasks and Activities are the records that track the work that is assigned and must be completed in order to resolve the Request.

In addition to work assignments, there are often questions or comments about the work. Therefore, a Comment record is also provided.

The Comment record provides a mechanism for communicating with a Request, Task, or Activity record owner. Comments can be associated with Requests, Tasks, and Activities, and are used for questions, comments, and responses.