This article provides best practice information for configuration of essential pieces of Validation Management automation, as well as general data record setup information. If you run into problems configuring components or setting up data for Validation Management, contact Vault Support.
Setup Overview
Follow these steps to get started in Validation Management. First, ensure that configuration best practices are followed in your Vault. Validation Management automation actions are configured on appropriate object lifecycle states and workflows:
- Create Initial Validation Entity
- Create Validation Entity Version
- Create Validation Requirement Version
- Define Executors
- Verify Test Step Completion
- Calculate Step Numbers
Then, create object data to support validation activities: Validation Inventory Items, Validation Requirements, Validation Entities, Validation Activities, Validation Deliverables.
Finally, create Test Scripts to fulfill Testing Deliverables.
Validation Management Automation Actions
Validation Management relies on several actions to facilitate the smooth operation of data management and test execution.
Configuring the Create Initial Validation Entity Action
Ensure that Create Initial Validation Entity event action is configured to trigger upon record creation in the Validation Inventory Item Lifecycle. This creates a Validation Entity record of a Validation Inventory Item upon creation, and ensures that we always have a first instance of an inventory item in the system. Even if the inventory item is an asset which does not have versions, Validation Management relies on having at least one Validation Entity record.
Configuring the Create Validation Entity Version Action
Ensure that the Create Validation Entity Version action is configured as an entry Action and user action on the Validation Entity Lifecycle. This action should be configured with the condition: If Versionable? > equals > Yes. This action creates a copy of the previous Entity along with all requirements associated with the previous entity.
Configuring the Create Validation Requirement Version Action
Ensure that the Create Validation Requirement Version user action is configured on the Validation Requirement Lifecycle in the approved lifecycle state. This action creates a new version of a requirement when an existing requirement needs to be modified.
Configuring the Define Executors Workflow Action
Ensure that a Participants Control on the VAL: Test Script Execution Workflow is configured with the custom action: Define Executors. This action ensures that Executors assigned to perform one or more test steps in a test script only receive one workflow task.
Configuring the Verify Test Step Completion Workflow Action
Ensure that a workflow task on the VAL: Test Script Execution Workflow is configured with the custom action: Verify Test Step Completion. This action ensures that all steps assigned to an Executor are in the Completed lifecycle state before the Executor’s workflow task can be completed.
Configuring the Calculate Step Numbers Action
When authoring a test, rearranging steps can result in Step Number field values with long decimal values, which could be confusing to Executors and unwanted in formatted outputs. The Calculate Step Numbers action simplifies the Step Number field values to the appropriate integers. You can configure this action as a user action or as an entry action. This action should be configured both on a state prior to, as well as in, the pre-approved lifecycle state.