Authoring Test Scripts (Validation Management)

Vault Validation Management provides an intuitive user interface to help validation professionals author, review, and pre-approve test scripts before they can become available for execution by Executors. The interface allows Test Authors to add, copy, and delete setup steps and execution steps to ensure that applicable requirements are challenged effectively. Test Authors can link Requirements to test steps or test scripts which helps with automatic creation of the requirements traceability matrix.

About the Test Authoring Interface

When you perform the Author Test action on a test which is in the In Authoring lifecycle state, Vault takes you to the test authoring interface page.

Test Header

This section includes the Name and Title of the test script being authored. If the test name and title is too long to display, you can hover over the header to view the full name and title.

The navigation panel on the left side of the interface displays sections and steps of the test. Clicking on a step or section in this panel navigates your view directly to it in the content panel. You can collapse and expand sections to efficiently navigate through large numbers of steps.

Content Panel

The content panel in the right side of the interface is where the primary authoring of the Test Steps takes place. Click + Step to add a new test step.

Within each step section, you can use the actions at the top right of the step to Copy, Delete, or Save changes to the step.

Status & Action Bar

The top right of the interface includes the save status and general actions. The save status indicates when you have unsaved changes in a test step in the content panel. The Reorder Steps action becomes available once you have at least two steps saved in a section, and allows you to reorder steps in a condensed view in the content panel. The Complete button allows Test Authors to complete their assigned authoring workflow task. The Complete button becomes available once you have at least one step saved.

Creating Test Scripts

Test Scripts contain test steps to be performed by one or more Executors to fulfill a Testing Deliverable for a validation activity. Executors perform test steps in the test execution interface.

To create a Test Script:

  1. From a Testing Deliverable record, navigate to the Test Script section.
  2. Click Create.
  3. Fill in all basic field data, including Test Script ID, Title, and Description.
  4. Select a Test Type. The options are IQ (Installation Qualification), OQ (Operational Qualification), or PQ (Performance Qualification). If you are creating a Test Protocol, you can select more than one Test Type.
  5. Select whether this test is a Regression Test.
  6. Fill in a Run Number. This value indicates the number of times that the test must be executed either due to a statistical requirement or due to multiple attempts due to discrepancies encountered during execution.
  7. Select an Author.
  8. Select a Lead Executor.
  9. If this Test Script was based on another script, select a Source Script.
  10. Click Save.

Once created, you can advance the script to the In Authoring lifecycle state, where you can begin authoring test steps.

Test Scripts typically go through a pre-approval review workflow to proceed to a Pre-Approved state. Until the test is Pre-Approved, it is not available for execution. The Test Authors should generally include the Test Author, Lead Executor, and Approver(s). Once a Test Script is in the Pre-Approved state, it becomes available for execution by assigned executors. Only then can you perform the Start Test Execution workflow action to assign roles and begin the test execution process.

Creating Steps

To begin test authoring:

  1. Navigate to a Test Script record in the In Authoring lifecycle state.
  2. Perform the Author Test action.
  3. From the test authoring interface, proceed with creating setup steps or execution steps.
  4. Click Complete to finish authoring and change the test’s state to In Pre-Approval.

Creating Setup Steps

To create a setup test step: 

  1. Navigate to a Test Script record in the In Authoring lifecycle state.
  2. Perform the Author Test action. Vault displays the test authoring interface.
  3. In the navigation panel of the test authoring interface, select the Setup Steps section.
  4. Click + Step.
  5. Add a Step Title.
  6. Add a Procedure that describes what the Executor must do to complete the step. Click the pop-out icon to view and edit the field in a larger dialog.
  7. Select an Action Results Setting from the drop-down:
    1. Actual Results Required: This value requires the Executor to provide a result to complete the step. If you select this value, fill in a Result Label that describes what the result is for. 
    2. Actual Results Disabled: This value requires the Executor to simply provide an acknowledgement, and the Result Label will not be displayed to the Executor.
  8. Choose whether to allow comments with the Comment Allowed? radio button.
  9. Optional: Select an Executor. If an Executor was defined on the parent Test Script record, Vault pre-populates the Executor field. 
  10. Click Save.

To add additional steps, you can either click + Steps at the bottom of the content panel, or copy an existing step.

Creating Execution Steps

To create an execution test step: 

  1. In the navigation panel of the test authoring interface, click Execution Steps.
  2. Click + Step.
  3. Add a Step Title.
  4. Add a Procedure that describes what the Executor must do to complete the step. Click the pop-out icon to view and edit the field in a larger dialog.
  5. Add Expected Results. Click the pop-out icon to view and edit the field in a larger dialog.
  6. Select a value for the Attachment Setting:
    1. Attachments Allowed: Attachments are optional and it’s up to the Executor to decide if they want to provide objective evidence.
    2. Attachments Required: Executors must attach at least one file to complete the step.
    3. Attachments Disabled: Executors cannot add attachments to the step.
  7. Choose whether to allow comments with the Comment Allowed? radio button.
  8. Optional: Select an Executor. If an Executor was defined on the parent Test Script record, Vault pre-populates the Executor field. 
  9. Click Save.
  10. Optional: Add requirements to be challenged by this step.

To add additional steps, you can either click + Steps at the bottom of the content panel, or copy an existing step.

Adding Requirements

Execution steps can link to Requirements that they will challenge. To add Requirements:

  1. Navigate to the Requirements section in an existing execution step. The Requirements section does not appear until the execution step has been saved.
  2. Click Add.
  3. In the Filter Requirements dialog, select whether you want to view and select from All available requirements or filter the list to only requirements which are currently Not Challenged by another step.
  4. Click Continue.
  5. In the dialog, select the requirements you want to add. You can further filter the list using the drop-down menus at the top of the dialog.
  6. Click Ok.

The Requirement is now linked to the test step. When you add a Requirement in this section, Vault will update the Requirements Traceability Matrix linking the Requirement, Validation Entity, and test step information. You can change the Requirements section display settings using its Actions menu to add or remove columns.

To remove a Requirement, select it and click - Remove.

Calculate Step Numbers

When authoring a test, rearranging steps can result in Step field values with long decimal values, which could be confusing to Executors. After making changes to the step order in a test, perform the Calculate Step Numbers action to simplify the Step field values to the appropriate integers. Typically, this action will be configured as an entry action on In Pre-Approval and Pre-Approved lifecycle states to ensure the step numbers are more readable.

Reviewing Tests

When viewing a test in an In Pre-Approval state, Vault displays the test in a read-only version of the test authoring interface. From here reviewers can review all authored content. Click Review to provide a verdict, justification, and eSignature. A rejection verdict may move the test back into an In Authoring state, where the Test Author can make any necessary changes.

The test review interface is also available via the Review Authored Test action on a Test Script record.