Advanced Linking
Traceability for Higher Quality Systems.
PA provides a linking functionality that allows the user to link different register items to each other such that the status of all the linked items can be verified by its associated status reports.
The base items in this linking feature is the "configuration Item" (CI) since this should be the start point for all projects works. That is to say all documents, spreadsheets, software modules etc should be registered in the configuration item database. Project Assistants linking model is illustrated below:
The diagram opposite shows the linking and interaction between the registers that are created and maintained by project Assistant. The CI register is able to search the Defect Register, the Change Request register and the Technical Query register for any links that have been created to the CI. Likewise the Change Request will search the Task, Technical Query and CI registers and the Defects register will search the CI, Technical Query, Change Request and Tasks registers.
If for example, a Change Request is linked back to a CI, then the Change Request stores the unique CI registration number as part of its data. If you were to view the CI Status report however, the report would first query Change Request, The Defect and Technical Query registers for any of these links and display them on the report.
The "Create" arrows identify where register items can be created from within another register, for example the data from a Defect can be ported to a "Change Request" or a "Technical Query" while Tasks can be generated by the Change Request register.
Status Reports
There are three new status reports included with PA and they will all search for the presence of these links and display any found including the current status. This way when checking the status of a defect, it will also take in to account any Technical Queries raised or any Change Request and their associated Tasks as part of the report. These reports are illustrated below: The new status reports and the associated link searches are illustrated in the diagrams below:
The Change Request Status Report includes the following linking information.
- Associated Task Information.
- Associated Technical Query Information.
- Associated Configuration Item Information.
The Defect Status Report includes the following linking information.
- Associated Change Request Information.
- Associated Technical Query Information.
- Associated Configuration Item Information.
The Configuration Item Status Report includes the following linking information.
- Associated Task Information.
- Associated Defect Information.
- Associated Technical Query Information.
