Scrum Template sample project: Item types

Helix ALM supports the following item types: requirement documents, requirements, test cases, manual test runs, and issues. You can rename and modify these item types to support almost any type of work item or asset your team manages during the development process.

In the Scrum Template project, the team is using Helix ALM to manage epics, user stories, tasks, test cases, manual test runs, and defects.

The following information explains the most commonly used fields in the Scrum Template. Items may contain additional fields.

Epic

Epics represent large product features or capabilities that need to be refined based on user needs and broken into manageable chunks for the team to work on. In the Scrum Template, epics are containers for user stories and tasks.

The default Requirement Document item type was renamed to Epic in the Scrum Template.

User Story

User stories represent individual features or functions that define what an end user needs to perform their job. User stories contain the following fields.

Field	Use to:
Story Points	Indicate a story point estimate for the story. Used in release planning and project status reports.
Acceptance Criteria	Identify acceptance criteria for the story.
Lead Time	View the number of hours from the time the story was entered (Date Entered field) to the time it entered the Done workflow state.
Cycle Time	View the number of hours from the time the story entered the In Progress workflow state to the time it entered the Done state.

The default Requirement item type was renamed to Story/Task in the Scrum Template. A User Story is a specific Story/Task type.

Task

Tasks represent specific pieces of a user story that the team needs to implement to complete the story. In practice, user stories are broken down into tasks. A Task is a specific Story/Task type. Tasks contain the following fields.

Field	Use to:
Lead Time	View the number of hours from the time the story was entered (Date Entered field) to the time it entered the Done workflow state.
Cycle Time	View the number of hours from the time the story entered the In Progress workflow state to the time it entered the Done workflow state.

You can configure requirements to support multiple item types. For each type, you can configure the fields to capture data, permissions for adding, editing, and updating items, and how items are visually represented in Helix ALM. For example, in the Scrum Template, User Stories and Tasks are types of requirements.

Test Case

Test cases represent a set of conditions (pre-conditions, test steps, expected results, etc.) used to determine if a specific product is working as expected. Test cases contain the following fields.

Field	Use to:
Type	Identify the type of test case.
Automated test	Identify if the test is automated. Can use to integrate automated testing tools with Helix ALM.
Estimated run time	Estimate the run time for the test. Used for release planning and project status reporting.
Expected Results	Document results a tester running the test can expect. You can also add this information in the test case steps.

Manual Test Run

Manual test runs represent executable instances of a test case to run against the tested application. In practice, every time a test case needs to be run, a manual test run should be created. Manual test runs contain the following fields.

Field	Use to:
Type	View the test type. Populated by the related test case and cannot be changed.
Automated test	View if the test is automated. Populated by the related test case and cannot be changed.
Estimated run time	View an estimated run time for the test. Populated by the related test case and cannot be changed.
Expected Results	View or document results a tester running the test can expect. This information may also be included in the manual test run steps.
Manual Test Run Set	Group related manual test runs to make tracking and reporting on test results easier. Populated when manual test runs are generated and cannot be changed.

Defect

Defects represent product issues, feature requests, customer complaints or other feedback from internal or external users. Defects contain the following fields.

Field	Use to:
Disposition	Identify the defect disposition, such as Open - Reviewed, Hold, or Fix in Future Release. Hidden for Administration and Engineering security groups.
Type	Identify the defect type, such as Incorrect Functionality, Cosmetic, or Feature Request.
Priority	Identify the defect priority.
Product	Identify the product the defect was found in.
Component	Identify the product component the defect was found in.
Severity	Identify the defect severity.
Reported by	Capture who found the defect, the product version it was found in, and details about how it was found. Each defect can have multiple Reported by records if more than one person submits the same defect or feature request.
Lead Time	View the number of hours from the time the defect was entered (Date Entered field) to the time it entered the Resolved workflow state.
Cycle Time	View the number of hours from the time the defect entered the Accepted workflow state to the time it entered the Resolved state.

The default Issue item type was renamed to Defect in the Scrum Template.