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The Sign-Off Table

Lesson 4 of 5

Readiness, status and linkage

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A test case is ready to run when it is complete, correct and reviewed. Cloud ALM expresses readiness through the test case status, and it expresses coverage through relations. Both need discipline, because both drive what testers see and what reports say.

Test case status

  1. Are activities and actions complete, with checkable expected results?Yes → check data and review · No → keep In Preparation
  2. Is the test data named and available in the test system?Yes → check review · No → keep In Preparation; raise a data task
  3. Has a key user or process owner reviewed it?Yes → set Prepared · No → keep In Preparation
  4. Is it linked to its process and the relevant requirements or user stories?Yes → ready for a test plan · No → add relations before planning
Deciding when a test case moves from In Preparation to Prepared.
The Sign-Off Table · thesignofftable.com/academy/sap-alm-203

New test cases are In Preparation. Setting a test case to Prepared makes it available for execution. In a test plan, only Prepared test cases are released to testers when the plan moves to In Testing. That makes the status a gate: a test case left In Preparation simply will not appear in the cycle.

A readiness review that works

  • Author check: the consultant confirms activities, actions, expected results and evidence flags.
  • Business review: a key user confirms the test reflects how Contoso actually works.
  • Data check: the master data and starting stock named in References exist in client 100 of the quality system.
  • Status change: the test lead or a delegated owner sets the test case to Prepared.
  1. Author checkConsultant confirms activities, actions, expected results and evidence flags
  2. Business reviewA key user such as Maria confirms it reflects how Contoso works
  3. Data checkMaster data and starting stock exist in client 100 of the quality system
  4. Set PreparedTest lead or delegated owner changes the status; the test case can now join a plan
A four-step readiness review that ends with the status change, so Prepared really means ready to run.
The Sign-Off Table · thesignofftable.com/academy/sap-alm-203

Use tags to record review state if you need more granularity than the two statuses, for example "reviewed-by-business" or "data-ready". Tags are filterable in Test Preparation and appear in reports.

Linkage: what a test case relates to

Relations turn a list of test cases into evidence of coverage. A test case can link to requirements, user stories, features, documents, process hierarchy nodes, interfaces and applications. The two that matter most for sign-off are requirements (what the business asked for) and user stories (what was built). The process link comes from creation.

RequirementR-0142 consolidated monthly fleet invoice
User storyConfigure collective billing; adapt invoice output
Test caseO2C collective billing, fleet, linked to the story and the requirement
Solution processSell from stock, in scope Contoso US
Linking a test case to the objects it proves.
The Sign-Off Table · thesignofftable.com/academy/sap-alm-203

Relations work in both directions. From a requirement, the team can see which test cases prove it; from a test case, a reviewer can see why it exists. When a requirement changes after Fit-to-Standard, that link tells Priya exactly which test cases need rework, instead of searching titles and hoping. It also protects against the opposite mistake: deleting a test case that is the only proof of an approved requirement.

Traceability analytics can count links directly or indirectly. With indirect assignments switched on, a test case linked to a user story also counts toward the user story's requirement. Direct links to requirements are still worth adding for high-risk requirements, because they make the coverage obvious to anyone reviewing the test case.

What would you do?

Two days before SIT cycle 1, Priya finds 30 test cases still In Preparation because the business review has not happened. The cycle cannot slip. What is the best action?

Key points
  • Test cases move from In Preparation to Prepared; only Prepared test cases are released to testers.
  • Setting a test case back to In Preparation mid-cycle removes its runs from Test Execution Analysis.
  • Use a short review: author, business, data, then status change; tags can record review state.
  • Link test cases to requirements and user stories so traceability shows coverage and gaps.

Check your understanding · not graded

Lesson check

  1. 1. Which status makes a test case available for execution?

  2. 2. What happens if a test case is set back to In Preparation after testing began?

  3. 3. What can tags help with in Test Preparation?

  4. 4. With indirect assignments on, how can a test case count toward a requirement?