Top 35 HP ALM (Quality Center) Interview Questions in 2024

By : Thomas Hamilton Thomas Hamilton
Hours Updated

Here are HP ALM interview questions and answers for fresher as well experienced candidates to get their dream job.

 

Basic HP ALM Interview Questions and Answers

1) What is HP ALM (Quality Center) used for? Or What are the benefits and features of Quality Center?

HP ALM/ Quality Center is a comprehensive test management tool. It is a web-based tool and supports high level of communication and association among various stakeholders (Business Analyst, Developers , Testers etc. ) , driving a more effective and efficient global application-testing process. Automation Tools like QTP , WinRunner & Loadrunner can be integrated with Quality Center. One can also create reports and graphs for Analysis and Tracking for Test processes.

👉 Free PDF Download: HP ALM (Quality Center) Interview Questions & Answers

2) What is the difference between TestDirector and Quality Center?

Quality Center is upgraded version of Test Director built by the same vendor Mercury (Now acquired by HP).Test Director Version 8.2 onwards is know as Quality Center. Quality Center is has enhanced Security/Test management /Defect management features when compared to Test Director.

3) What is the difference between Quality Center and Bugzilla?

Quality Center is a test management tool which can also manage Defects apart from other features.

BugZilla is Defect Management tool only.

4) What is the Purpose of Creating Child Requirement in TD /QC?

By Creating Child requirements to the main requirement you can evaluate the sub requirements related to the main requirements.

You can link test sets and defects to the sub-requirements.  This helps in 100% test coverage and its analysis.

Learn More About Requirements in the Tutorial here

5) What is Test Lab?

In order to execute a Test Case (Developed in the Test Plan Module) either manual or automated it needs to imported into Test Lab Module. In sum, Test Cases are created in Test Plan Module while they are executed in Test Lab Module.

HP ALM Interview Questions
HP ALM Interview Questions

6) What is meant by Instance?

A Test Case imported from Test Plan module to Test Lab module is called an Instance of that test case. It is possible to have multiple instances of the same Test Case in the Test Lab Module.

7) Is it possible to maintain test data in Quality Center?

Yes. One can attach the test data to the corresponding test cases or create a separate folder in test plan to store them.

8) How to ensure that there is no duplication of bugs in Quality Center?

In the defect tracking window of QC,  there is a “find similar defect” icon. When this icon is clicked after writing the defect, if anybody else has entered the same defect then it points it out.

9) What will be the status in Quality Center if you give “Suggestion” to the Developer?

This is a trick question.

You can give “Suggestion” to the developer using the Comments sections provided in QC. This is will not change the current status of Defect in QC. In sum, the status of the defect remains the same,  as that  before giving suggestion to the developer.

10) How will you generate the defect ID in Quality Center?

The Defect ID is automatically generated after clicking Submit button.

Learn More about Defect Creation in Quality Center in  here

11) Is ‘Not covered’ and ‘Not run’ status the same?

Not Covered status means all those requirements for which the test cases are not written whereas Not Run status means all those requirements for which test cases are written but are not run.

12) How to import test cases from Excel / Word  to Quality Center?

  1. 1.Install and Configure the Microsoft Excel / Word Add-In for Quality Center.
  2. 2. Map the Columns in  Word / Excel spreadsheet with Columns available  in  Quality Center
  3. 3.Export the data from Word/Excel to Quality Center Using Tools >Export to Quality Center Option in Word/Excel.
  4. 4. Rectify errors if Any.

13) Can we export the file from Quality Centre to Excel / Word. If yes then how?

Yes.

  • Requirement tab: Right click on main Req/click on export/save as word, excel or other template. This would save all the child requirements
  • Test plan tab: Only individual test can be exported. No parent child export is possible. Select a test script, click on the design steps tab, right click anywhere on the open window. Click on export and save as.
  • Test lab tab: Select a child group. Click on execution grid if it is not selected. Right click anywhere. Default save option is excel. But can be saved in documents and other formats
  • Defects Tab: Right click anywhere on the window, export all or selected defects and save excel sheet or document.

14) What is Business Component?

Quality Center provides Business Component  for Business Process Testing (BPT).

Many Enterprise Applications are a) complex and b) require extensive test scripts/case.

A Test /Automation Engineer can not handle both complexity of Application Under Test as well as  extensive test script/test case creation.

Using Business Component,  Subject Matter Experts ( who are experts on the  Application  Under Test ) can create tests in a script free environment without involving in the Nitty-gritty of test case/script designing. It helps increase test coverage and creates re-usable business components used for testing essential Business Processes.

Development of Test Script / Cases is done by Automation / Test Engineer.

15) How can we save the tests Executed in test lab?

The tests executed, are automatically saved when the user clicks on “END RUN” in the Test Lab

Learn More About Running a Test Case in QC in the Tutorial here

16) How to export test cases from QTP into QC?

To export test cases from QTP to QC, you first need to establish QTP-QC connection

1)  In QTP , Go to File > Quality Center Connection.

2)  Enter QC URL project name/domain/username/password and click on Login. QTP is now connected to QC.

Next you can select the save the QTP Script in QC.

3)  In QTP, Select File Menu > Save As > Save in QC

4 ) Select the Folder in QC where you wan to save the QTP Script

6) Click OK to Save.

17) How to use QTP as an automation tool in Quality Center?

You need to install QTP add-in in Quality Center (Usually done by Quality Center Administrator) . You then create and store QTP scripts in QC.

Learn more about using QTP in Quality Center in Tutorial here

18) How to switch between two projects in Quality Center?

In QC 9.0 and above  you can switch between two projects by select Tools>Change Projects>Select Project.

In other version , you will need to log-off and log-in again.

19) What is the main purpose to storing requirement in Quality Center?

You store requirements in Quality Center for following reasons

a) To ensure 100% coverage: You can create and track test plan / sets for the requirements stored in Quality Center to ensure all the requirements are tested.

b) Easy Change Management: If any requirement changes during course of test case creation , the underlying test case is automatically highlighted and Test Engineer can change the test case to suite the new requirement.

e) Ease of Tracking: Using Advanced Reporting & Graphs provided by QC , Managers can determine various metrics useful in project tracking and monitoring.

20) What is Coverage status, what does it do?

Coverage status is percentage of testing covered at a given time.

For Example, If you have 100 test cases in a project and you have executed 35 test cases than your coverage status of the project is 35%

Coverage status is helps keep track of project deadline.

Advanced HP ALM Interview Questions and Answers

21) Explain the architecture of Hp-ALM the new version of Quality Center?

  • HP ALM client
  • ALM server/Application server
  • Database servers- Site administration schema, Lab project and Project schema

22) Mention what are the different edition for HP ALM?

The different edition of HP ALM includes

  • HP ALM essentials: It is for the corporates that need the basic features for supporting their entire software life cycle
  • HP QC enterprise edition: This version is used by corporates more commonly who use ALM more testing purposes.  It also provides integration with UFT
  • HP ALM performance center edition: This license is best suitable for organizations who would like to use HP ALM to drive HP-Load runner scripts.  It helps the users to manage, maintain, execute, schedule and monitor performance tests.

23) Mention what is ALM workflow?

ALM workflow includes

  • Release Specification
  • Requirement Specification
  • Test Planning
  • Test Execution
  • Defect Tracking

24) Explain why do we need management of release and cycles in ALM?

  • There are many releases for a specific product
  • Each release is segregated into a number of cycles
  • Each release has also have a pre-defined scope and milestone associated with it
  • There is a specific number of test cases and requirements associated with it
  • Upon executing tests, the defects are mapped and logged to the corresponding tests after which we can trace requirements and defects

Hence we need release and cycle Management

25) Explain how you can customize the defect management cycle in Quality Center?

One should gather all the features or attributes that have to be part of the defect management like defect origin, version, defect details, etc.  Later in QC using the modify options, one can change the defect modules accordingly.

26) Mention what is the advantage of Quality Center?

  • Quality Center is referred as a complete test management tool
  • It is a web-based tool and backs up high level of communication among various stake-holders (Developers, Business Analyst, Testers and so on) driving a more efficient and effective global application-testing process
  • With Quality Center automation tools like QTP, WinRunner and LoadRunner it can be integrated.  For analysis and tracking for test processes, it can also create reports and graphs

27) Mention what is Test Lab module in Quality Center?

Test Lab module helps the tester to execute the created tests.  Using this module one can schedule, run and analyze and post defects.

28) Mention how many types of tabs are there in Quality Center and explain them?

Requirement: To track the customer requirements

Test Plan: To store the test scripts and design the test cases

Test Lab: To track the results and execute the test cases

Defect: Totrack down the logged defects and log a defect

29) Mention what does Dashboard Analysis consist of?

The dashboard analysis consists of two views

  • Analysis View:  It consists of the analysis tree using which project managers/QA can arrange all of their analysis items like-graphs, excel reports and project reports
  • Dashboard View: It consists of the dashboard tree in which managers or testers arrange dashboard pages that can arrange multiple graphs that was formed in the analysis tree and manifest them in a single view

30) Mention what is Sprinter in HP-ALM?

Sprinter offers advanced functionality and tools to make manual testing more effective and efficiently.  It allows you to accomplish these tasks without disrupting your test flow.  With the help of sprinter, you can execute many of the repetitive and tedious tasks of manual testing automatically.  It includes many tools that can help you to detect and submit defects.

31) Mention what is sprinter-data injection?

  • Using sprinter you can enter test data into the application by matching column names with the field names with the application
  • We can insert multi-set of data directly into the application with respective matching fields at one go
  • Choose the row that you want to insert and tap on the inject icon which directly inject the data into the corresponding fields

32) Mention how sprinter tools are helpful?

Sprinter tools are helpful in many ways like

  • Smart Defect:
  • New Defect:
  • Add Defect Reminder:

33) Explain how one can map a single defect to more than one test script?

Using the “associate defect” option in TestDirector one can assign the same defect to a number of test cases.

34) Explain how you can add requirements to test cases in Quality Centre?

There are two types of requirements available in Quality Center

  • Parent Requirements
  • Child Requirements

35) What are the predefined groups and permissions in HP ALM?

  1. Developer
  2. Project Manager
  3. QA Tester
  4. TD Admin
  5. View

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