Create a release process

Release processes provide visibility into the activities that make up your release lifecycle, and help you identify issues and bottlenecks.

This topic describes how to design a release process.

About the process flow

A release process is made up of a number of stages. Each stage contains actions, manual and automated, and quality gates.

Optionally, you can organize actions and quality gates into groups.

Release process items

The following table summarizes the items that can be included in a release process:

Item type Details
Stage

The main component of a release process.

Example: Prepare test environments

Action

A task that should be performed as part of a stage.

There are two types of actions:

  • Manual action: An action that should be performed manually, such as deploying a Windows machine.

  • Auto action: An action to be executed automatically when the previous action is completed or when scheduled.

Quality Gate

A task that ensures that a set of criteria is met before moving on to the next stage or action. For details, see Define quality gates.

Example: Check if environments are deployed correctly.

Group

An optional container for actions and quality gates. A group can contain lower level groups.

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Create a process

The following sections describe how to define the elements of a release process. First, you need to create a release process, and then define its stages and actions.

You can either create a new process from scratch, or duplicate an existing process.

To create a new release process:

  1. Select Release Management > Processes.
  2. Click Add Release Process to create a release process in the current workspace.

    Click Add Shared Release Process to create a release process in all the shared space's workspaces.

  3. Assign the process to a release or milestone. You can select multiple releases or milestones.
  4. Fill in other process fields.

If you have an existing process from a previous release, you can duplicate it and edit the copy. The structure of the existing process will be copied to the new process. The phase of the new process will be set to Planned. You can then modify its details and elements.

To duplicate an existing process:

  • In the processes list, select the checkbox adjacent to a process. Expand the More dropdown and select Duplicate.
  • Alternatively, right-click a release process and click Duplicate .

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Define stages

Stages, as well as groups, can be defined as parallel or sequential.

For example:

Stage Details
Parallel

All child items are run at the same time.

Sequential An action starts after the preceding action has completed.

To define a stage:

  1. Open a release process and select the Process Flow tab.
  2. Click + Stage to create the first stage in the process.

    Use the Run children in parallel field to determine whether the stage child items can be executed at the same time.

After creating a stage, define actions and quality gates that make up the stage.

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Define actions

Actions represent tasks that should be performed as part of a stage.

Prerequisites

Ensure that the prerequisites below are met for the following auto action types:

  • Run job: Ensure that the necessary ValueEdge and ALM Octane integrations are configured for your workspace. For details, see ALM Octane integrations overview.
  • Update entities: Ensure that the API key for auto actions is defined in the release process details. For details, see ALM Octane auto actions.
  • Generate document report: Ensure that API key for auto actions is defined, and that the API key has the Generate Document Report permission from the General System Actions category.

    If necessary, contact your admin to grant this permission to the API key user. Also make sure that you have defined at least one document report template. For details, see Create a report template.

To define an action:

  1. Click + Manual Action or + Auto Action. If one option is not visible, expand the dropdown.
  2. Associate each action with the appropriate parent stage or group.

  3. Assign the action to an owner.
  4. For auto actions, select the action type and provide the field values. For details, see Auto actions.

  5. Click Add.

Tip: You can organize multiple actions into groups. You can reorder items in the process tree, but you cannot drag an item above an item that has already started. To reorder an item, drag the item up or down the tree. After you move the item, the timings of the surrounding items are adjusted automatically.

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Auto actions

Release processes let you perform automated actions in ValueEdge and ALM Octane, as well as on the CI and CD servers.

You can create auto actions of the following types:

ALM Octane auto actions

Some ValueEdge and ALM Octane auto actions are performed on behalf of the API key.

API key for auto actions is a user account with the Release Manager role. It is used to perform system actions that are logged and require authentication. For example, when ValueEdge and ALM Octane items are updated by an auto action, the updates are recorded in the item's history as the action performed by the API key for auto actions.

Note: The API key for auto actions is defined for a release process. Only users with the Workspace Admin or Release Manager roles can define the API key.

The following are common ALM Octane auto actions:

Type Details
Update entities

Available in versions: 16.0.300 and later

Performs an update to all items of the selected type that comply with the filter definition. If the auto action is successful, new values will replace the original values, for all items of the given type, under the filter definition.

Specify the following values:

  • Entity type: The type of items that the auto action should update.
  • Fields to update: The item fields that the auto action should update. You can also add tags. Define values for the specified fields.

Tip: Narrow down the list of items using a filter. For example, you can add a filter to update only those items linked to the current release process.

Note: By default, the maximum number of ValueEdge and ALM Octane items that can be updated by an auto action is set to 500. Your admin can change this number by modifying the RC_AA_UPDATE_ENTITIES_MAX_SIZE parameter. For details, see Configuration parameters.

Generate document report

Available in: ValueEdge and from ALM Octane 16.0.400

Generates a document report based on the selected template.

The template drop down only includes templates that are shared with all users.

If the auto action is successful, the owner of the auto action is notified of the report generation in the My Work area.

Note the following:

  • The report is generated on behalf of the API key for auto actions.
  • Document report templates that include widgets are not supported.
  • The report is not available for users with data access control enabled. For details, see Data access control (Enterprise Edition).
  • If the auto action is deleted, the generated report will no longer be available.
  • Available in ValueEdge and from ValueEdge and ALM Octane 16.1.100: Admins can configure email templates to include a link to the auto-action-generated document report.
Send email

Available in: ValueEdge and from ValueEdge and ALM Octane 16.1.100

Sends an email with a specific message. Specify the To, CC, and BCC fields, the subject, content, and importance level.

Add comment

Available in: ValueEdge and from ValueEdge and ALM Octane 16.1.100

Adds comments to features and backlog items.

Specify the type of items to add a comment to. Apply a filter, if necessary. Your comment will be added to all the items of the specified type that comply with the filter definition.

Note: Comments are added on behalf of the API key. Ensure the defined API key user has permissions to add comments to the selected item type.

CI server auto actions

You can create auto actions to run jobs on the specified CI server.

For a CI action, you define the following:

Field Details
CI server

The CI server whose job the auto action should trigger.

The supported servers are: Jenkins, Bamboo, Azure DevOps, PulseUno, GitLab, and TeamCity.

Available in ValueEdge and from ValueEdge and ALM Octane 16.1.100:

  • Jenkins: You must upgrade your Jenkins plugin to version 7.4 or later.
  • GitLab: You must upgrade your GitLab service to version 1.1.128 or later.
  • TeamCity: You must upgrade your TeamCity plugin to version 1.4.4 or later.
CI job

A job that the auto action should execute, depending on the selected CI server.

Execution parameters

Job execution parameters that ValueEdge and ALM Octane should pass to the CI server.

Note:

  • The parameters are defined with the default values, or the latest values set on the CI server. To change a value, clear the default value and enter a new one.
  • The newly defined values are fixed for a job that the given auto action should run. They are not affected when values on the respective CI server change.
  • If the execution parameters are not defined in the auto action details, the CI job runs with the default parameters set on the CI server. You can check the parameter details in the execution message.
  • Available in ValueEdge and from ValueEdge and ALM Octane 16.1.100: For multi-branch Jenkins jobs, ValueEdge and ALM Octane provides parameters for branches defined as default on the CI server. To use parameters for a specific branch, list this branch as default on the CI server.
Branch name

The branch on which the job should run.

Note:

  • PulseUno jobs: If the PulseUno parameters, such as a branch name and a changeset ID, are not defined, the auto action triggers a job on the latest changeset ID and the default branch.
  • GitLab jobs: If the branch name is not defined, the auto action runs a job on the default branch.

    Available in ValueEdge and from ValueEdge and ALM Octane 16.1.100: You can also use the Branch name field to define CI tags. Unlike with branches, where jobs run on the latest version of code, tags help you run jobs on specific versions, regardless of the commit time.

  • Jenkins jobs: You must define a branch name for a Jenkins job. If the branch name is not defined, the auto action fails.

    Available in ValueEdge and from ValueEdge and ALM Octane 16.1.100: If the branch name is not defined, the auto action triggers a job on the default branch.

    For multi-branch Jenkins jobs, if a branch name is not defined in ValueEdge and ALM Octane, and default branches are not set on the CI server, the auto action fails.

CD server auto actions

Available in: ValueEdge and from ValueEdge and ALM Octane 16.1.100

You can create auto actions for CD servers.

Type Details
Run application process

Deployment Automation: Auto actions can run application processes using snapshots or component versions.

Specify the CD server, the application and its environment, a process, a snapshot/components and their versions.

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Define quality gates

Use quality gates to verify that certain criteria are met before moving to the next stage.

For a quality gate to pass, all its criteria need to be marked as passed.

Quality gate criteria can be a combination of user input and query criteria:

Criterion type Description
User input criterion

You enter a textual description of a condition for passing the quality gate.

The owner manually marks the criterion as passed or failed.

Examples: Does the feature have the owner and QA owner? Is the API impact verified?

Query criterion

You define a rule that checks whether the number of items of a selected type within a given filter meets a specified condition.

When the quality gate is processed, the system automatically runs the query. If the condition is met, the criterion is passed. If the condition is missed, the criterion is failed.

Example: Defects = 0; Filter: Severity = {Very High, Critical}, Feature = {my feature}

To define a quality gate:

  1. Open a release process and click the Process Flow tab.
  2. Click + Quality Gate . If this option is not visible, expand the item dropdown and select + Quality Gate. For details, see Release process items.
  3. In the Add Quality Gate window, enter your information. Click Add & Edit.
  4. Click the Criteria tab. Choose a criterion type: + User Input Criterion or + Query Criterion.

  5. In the Add Criterion window, define a condition for passing the quality gate. For details on defining query criteria, see Define query criteria for quality gates.

Note: The number of criteria that you can define in a quality gate is controlled by the RC_CRITERIA_PER_GATE parameter. For details, see Configuration parameters.

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Define query criteria for quality gates

This section describes how to define query criteria for a quality gate.

Click + Query Criterion, and in the Add Query Criterion dialog box, provide the following details:

Field Description
Item type

Select the item type that the query will run on. You can reduce the scope of items by defining a filter.

Possible values: Backlog Items, Defects, Last Test Runs.

Threshold operator/ Threshold value

Use these fields to define a numerical condition. If the condition is met, the criterion passes.

Filter

Set a filter to define the subset of items that the system compares with the threshold condition.

  • If you want the query to match the release defined for the release process, select Linked Processes > Releases. Select Release Process.Releases in the popup, and click OK.
  • If you want the query to match the milestone defined for the release process, select Linked Processes > Milestones. Select Release Process.Milestones in the popup, and click OK.

Setting these values lets you define the release and milestone for all the query criteria in one place, on the Details tab of a release process. Also, if you reuse the release process as a template, you will not have to modify the release and milestone values for every query criterion individually.

For details on setting filters, see Define filters.

Simulate query criteria results

You can run a simulation of a query to see how many items the query returns, and see whether the query would pass or fail the criterion.

To simulate the results:

  1. In the Criteria grid of the quality gate, select the criterion that you want to simulate.
  2. In the Preview pane of the query criterion, click Simulate Results.

    After the simulation completes, a flag displays in the Preview pane indicating whether the criterion would pass or fail given the current situation.

  3. Click the results link to list the items that the query returned.

Note:  

  • You can simulate query criteria of quality gates that are in the Planned phase only.
  • The simulation reflects the current situation. The results of the actual quality gate evaluation may be different.

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Date and time fields

Each item in a release process, including the release process itself, includes three time-related fields: Start time, End time, Duration.

The following table describes actions you can perform on date and time fields:

Action Details
Auto-adjust times

After you set two of the fields, ALM Octane automatically sets the third field. For example, if you set an action's end time and duration, its start time will be calculated automatically based on the two other values.

In addition, ALM Octane automatically sets the start time of an item to coincide with end time of the preceding item. For example, if the last action of a stage is set to end at 3/4/2021 10:00, the next stage will be scheduled to start at that time.

After modifying any of the time values, ValueEdge and ALM Octane automatically adjusts all the time fields that are impacted by the change.

Pin time fields

You can pin any of the time fields in a release process item. Pinning the field instructs ALM Octane to keep the value fixed, and not adjust the value automatically when other time fields are changed. For example, if you have a firm date on which a testing action must begin, you can pin the Start time field. Now, even if you edit the end time of the preceding item, or the testing action's end time and duration, the start time will stay fixed.

To pin a time field:

  1. In the Process Flow grid, click the time field to enter edit mode.
  2. Adjust the time or duration manually, or click the pin icon.

To unpin a time field:

  1. In the Process Flow grid, click the time field to enter edit mode.
  2. Click the pin icon.

    The unpinned time or duration will automatically be calculated according to the surrounding time values.

Set the format of time fields

By default, the Start time and End time fields display the date and time, and the Duration field displays the duration in days, hours and minutes.

Use the HIDE_HOURS_AND_MINUTES_IN_RELEASE_CONTROL parameter to display the date only.

For details, see Configuration parameters.

Actual versus planned times

After an item is started or ended, the actual start time, end time, and duration are stored in the Actual start time, Actual end time, and Actual duration fields.

You can also hover over the Start time and End time fields to view in a popup the actual vs. planned times.

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Permissions

Access to the release process settings depends on permissions granted to your user role.

For details, see Roles and permissions.

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Next steps: