CTFL 5.4.1: Summarize how configuration management supports testing

• a
  It re-runs the test suite against the current baseline of the test environmentThe current baseline is not the one that produced those results, so re-running it proves nothing.
• ✓
  Correct answer: It keeps the earlier baseline, so the team can revert to it and reproduce the resultsReverting to the previous baseline is how previous test results are reproduced.
• c
  It re-derives the test cases from the requirements that were in force back thenConfiguration management tracks existing work products rather than deriving test cases anew.
• d
  It restores the defect reports raised at the time so the results can be read againDefect reports record what was found; they do not reproduce the test results themselves.

In testing, configuration management identifies, controls and tracks work products such as test plans, test cases, test scripts, test results and test logs as configuration items. Once a configuration item is approved for testing it becomes a baseline and can only be changed through a formal change control process; configuration management keeps a record of changed configuration items when a new baseline is created, and it is possible to revert to a previous baseline to reproduce previous test results.

Syllabus section 5.4.1

• a
  The test completion report was not circulated to all of the stakeholdersCirculating a report does not preserve which versions were used.
• b
  The test environment was not shut down to an agreed state after the releaseShutting down the environment is a test completion activity, not what preserves versions.
• ✓
  Correct answer: Configuration management did not identify, version and track those items so that traceability was maintainedIdentification, version control and tracking are what make results reproducible.
• d
  The regression test suite had not been automated before the release took placeAutomation would re-run tests but not identify the versions used three months ago.

To properly support testing, configuration management ensures that all configuration items, including test items, are uniquely identified, version controlled, tracked for changes and related to other configuration items so that traceability can be maintained throughout the test process. It also keeps a record of changed configuration items when a new baseline is created, which makes it possible to revert to a previous baseline and reproduce previous test results.

Syllabus section 5.4

• a
  The change is unrestricted, because configuration management records every change automaticallyRecording a change is not the same as permitting it without control.
• b
  No change is permitted at all once the testing of the release has startedChange remains possible; it is the route to change that becomes formal.
• c
  The change requires the test completion report for the previous cycle to be reissuedReissuing a report is not what approval for testing triggers.
• ✓
  Correct answer: The component is now a baseline and may only be changed through a formal change control processApproval makes it a baseline, changeable only through formal change control.

For a complex configuration item, such as a test environment, configuration management records the items it consists of, their relationships and versions. If the configuration item is approved for testing, it becomes a baseline and can only be changed through a formal change control process. Configuration management then keeps a record of changed configuration items when a new baseline is created.

Syllabus section 5.4.1