- Requirements
- Test Plan/Lab
- Defects
- The sprinter is a great feature in the manual runner.
- Reporting
- Analysis
- Version Control
- Exporting and Importing
- Document Generator
- Defects Synchronization to other tools like Borland StarTeam and JIRA, for example
Test Manager/Senior Testing Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
It provides Defects Synchronization to other tools, such as Borland StarTeam and JIRA.
What is most valuable?
What needs improvement?
Accessibility! The reason I gave it a 9 not 10, is that I doesn’t support Apple machines or any browsers other than IE, and even then, later than IE 10! This is a big problem if the development team who should be working on defects are using Apple machines, which is very common. This is also a big problem for us if higher management wants to take a look on defects for one reason or the other. They are usually on the run and can’t access it using their iPads, for example.
This is a problem that JIRA solved, and it's now practically accessible from any browser on any type of operating system, and can be opened on a cellphone/tablet browser or through mobile applications. It’s perfect when it comes to accessibility and this is what Quality Center desperately needs.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using it for more than six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Performance issues are very common. The degradation of performance and consequent failures continuously happen. “Failed to Login” errors are common as well, and some random issues like creating the issue twice and deleting one deletes the other, etc.
Buyer's Guide
OpenText ALM / Quality Center
January 2024
Learn what your peers think about OpenText ALM / Quality Center. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2024.
752,108 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No issues encountered.
What other advice do I have?
It's the perfect tool for testing purposes, but you need to consider other options if development teams do not use the environments supported by Quality Center.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
QA Manager and Manager Systems Test at a renewables & environment company with 501-1,000 employees
The Test Plan/Case module permits assigning of multiple testers to a project and it provides real-time snapshots of project vitals.
What is most valuable?
- Requirements module
- Test Plan/Case module
- Defect module
- Reporting modules
- API
How has it helped my organization?
- Real-time snapshot of project vitals
- Reusability of requirements
- Tests
- Flexibility in assigning multiple testers to a project, rather than assigning each tester to a test case
- Seamless on the fly reorganise test projects due to corporate emergencies and shifting priorities
What needs improvement?
- Traceability and version control management
- Not able to group project deliverables by builds
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used it for six years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
When we were installing v10, the installation became corrupted. So when we upgraded to v11, it was very expensive, and at our own cost, to do. This was regardless of our maintenance contract with HP.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
No issues encountered.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
Our vendor is 10/10, but HP is 7/10.
Technical Support:Our vendor is 10/10, but HP is 8/10.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
No previous solution was used.
How was the initial setup?
The installation tools are not the best, even for experienced IT/admin, it self-corrupts, and there is no good tech support to help with install issues unless you pay them to fly in a team.
What about the implementation team?
We did it in-house.
What was our ROI?
It's 300%.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It depends on your vendor. SkyIt was the best, as they were able to get the initial cost low enough so a small startup could afford it.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
- IBM
- JIRA/Test Link
What other advice do I have?
For small companies where audits/lawsuits etc. are not a factor, it's not worth the investment. You should use open source or lower cost alternatives (JIRA project/defect tracking, Test Link open source QC like Test Tool). However, for any company that wants a mature, highly developed platform that is constantly improving, need to survive audits, etc., you must consider HP ALM solutions such as HP Quality Center.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
OpenText ALM / Quality Center
January 2024
Learn what your peers think about OpenText ALM / Quality Center. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2024.
752,108 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Software Engineer in Test with 201-500 employees
It provides traceability in test-case maintenance and we can run tests remotely with UFT integration.
What is most valuable?
- Test case creation
- Test case execution
- Base lining
- Requirements
How has it helped my organization?
It is useful in test-case maintenance as it helps with traceability.
For how long have I used the solution?
I used it for two years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
Not that I am aware of.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the product is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No issues encountered.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
I had little to no interaction with customer service.
Technical Support:It's good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We figured out HP ALM is good and switched from using Excel spreadsheets.
How was the initial setup?
It's straightforward. The user guide provides detailed steps on installation.
What about the implementation team?
We used an in-house team to implement.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We also looked at MTM – Microsoft Test Manager.
What other advice do I have?
If the company plans to use QTP/UFT then HP QC/ALM is a great option. UFT integrates with ALM and we can run test cases remotely.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
QA Specialist II at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
It allows us to keep test cases and defects centrally located, however, the UI is primitive and the tool is hard to learn.
Valuable Features:
The ability to keep test cases and defects centrally located, accessible to multiple people instead of in document format, is the most valuable feature.
Improvements to My Organization:
We no longer need to use documents for test cases, which are brittle and difficult to keep updated.
Room for Improvement:
- The UI is primitive
- The tool is hard to learn
- The help files are minimal, even the videos
- The massive configuration options are too broad, meaning there is little in common across deployments
Use of Solution:
I've used it for a few months, but I also have experience with Quality Center, the predecessor.
Deployment Issues:
I wasn't involved in the deployment.
Stability Issues:
The site has to be reloaded every time there is a change in the background.
Scalability Issues:
No issues encountered.
Initial Setup:
It was complex, as I was not given permission to delete items, for example. Trying to create test cases via copy-and-paste can be cumbersome, and it was easy to misread the directory structure or put cases in the wrong location.
Cost and Licensing Advice:
I believe that the tool is probably not worth great expense, although it is better than remaining tied to documents and spreadsheets.
Other Advice:
Try MS Test Manager first, particularly if your code is .Net and/or your developers use Visual Studio.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Manager of eCommerce at a wholesaler/distributor with 1,001-5,000 employees
As we're a large SAP shop, this solution provides us with the ability to track individual issues to a defined release and the scalability to meet our growing requirements.
What is most valuable?
- Being a large SAP shop, having the ability to track individual issues to a defined release is a key function.
- We also use the tool for our performance testing and automation efforts, including the test library repository. These functions within the tool are easy to use and allow our internal user community simplicity in the needed access to these.
- Scalability is a must with our business and this tool has it.
What needs improvement?
It has a very large footprint, and takes an inordinate amount of time to load the components and seems to need to do this quite frequently. Also, with many of these tools, there is always room for improvement with the UI in terms of intuitiveness and functionality.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used it for five years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
Just the amount of time to install as well as the reinstall frequency.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
No issues encountered.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No. Scalability is another key reason for using this tool as mentioned above.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
As with any big company, HP support is good but costly.
Technical Support:I have not had to deal with them.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We really started using ALM about five years ago when our testing automation efforts kicked into high gear. Up until then, we were tracking testing using various other smaller tools.
How was the initial setup?
Setup was straightforward once the needed hardware was defined and in place.
What about the implementation team?
It was done in-house.
What was our ROI?
We have other tools with HP, so it's bundled in with these and hard to measure ROI specifically for one tool.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
You need to negotiate with HP.
What other advice do I have?
It's a great tool for a company looking to establish a scalable solution that will give you flexibility as you grow, BUT I would highly suggest you have individual(s) with the expertise to care for and feed it.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Technical Lead at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
It facilitates integration with automation tools and provides a centralized location for the testing life-cycle, giving traceability and visibility to all members and stakeholders of projects.
What is most valuable?
- Test Plan
- Test Lab
- Defects
- Requirements
- Dashboard - Reports
How has it helped my organization?
- Improved the work quality
- Centralized location for the testing life-cycle
- Traceability and visibility to all the members and stakeholders of projects
- Standardization of test cases
- Test case execution and validation
- Ease of integration with automation tools like QTP, LoadRunner, SOATest etc.
What needs improvement?
The performance of this product is really poor, and there is no dashboard (reports) for the groups or users on the home page. Also, instead of one database, there are separate ones for each project.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used it for three years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
No issues encountered.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
No issues encountered.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
If you add any custom workflow (scripting), then in the long run there will be a deviation in application performance.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
It's excellent.
Technical Support:It's excellent, but they don't support scripting unless it's in your PO.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used JIRA. Its is also a good tool for defect tracking, but due to the lack of test and requirements management in JIRA, we have moved to ALM.
How was the initial setup?
Straightforward. I've gone through the installation admin, and followed the same steps and it was fine.
What about the implementation team?
We did it in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's a bit costlier when compared to other tools on the market, and you have to haggle with HP for this product.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We also looked at TFS.
What other advice do I have?
Its a good tool for a perfect software development company where release/project roll outs happen on a planned basis. It's not a supportive tool for an agile environment.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
QA Tester at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
We've found the requirements repository, signature-approval capability, and traceability matrix reporting to be useful.
What is most valuable?
The most useful are the requirements repository, the ability to link requirements to test script steps, and the use of traceability matrix reporting.
How has it helped my organization?
Houses requirements and testing with approvals all in one place. Signature approval capability was very useful.
What needs improvement?
It could be better by incorporating more spell checking and word processing functionalities in steps. Also, it could be more user friendly to "call" other scripts.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used the latest version of ALM for about four years, but I have used all previous versions going back to 2001 through to today.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
No issues encountered.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
No issues encountered.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Mostly with the blocking of users when the license limit was reached.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
It's 5/10 as our own resources were more useful at solving issues.
Technical Support:It's 5/10 - our own resources were more useful at solving issues due to time constraints with responses.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did not have a previous solution. This was our first solution.
What other advice do I have?
Make sure it is easy to use for your roles. If you have technical people, other solutions may be better (like resources with VB expertise, etc.). Make sure you implement it as organized by system functionality, not by project.
My current company is just starting to use it, and they keep copying test plans for each project instead of reusing original test plans, which is a waste of time and resources.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Manager at a outsourcing company with 501-1,000 employees
With the test execution and creation monitoring feature, we can easily track the testing process as minute as test cases executed on a particular system.
What is most valuable?
- Test Management
- Reporting
- Defect Management
- RTM
- Requirement Management
How has it helped my organization?
Quality Center has helped my organization in monitoring the testing process and improving productivity. The test execution and creation monitoring feature in Quality Center is one of the most advanced features available in the industry. You can easily track the testing process as minute as test cases executed on a particular system.
What needs improvement?
Almost all of the areas are very advanced, but one module which needs improvement is report extraction, and billing module is missing.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used it for eight years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
No issues encountered.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Too many users logged in at a particular time affects the Quality Center response time dramatically.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No issues encountered.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
It's excellent.
Technical Support:It's excellent.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
There was no previous solution was in place.
How was the initial setup?
It was very easy and straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We used a mix of an in-house team and a vendor team.
What was our ROI?
We've seen ROI, but I can't share any specifics.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Pricing is high, but with new tools available in the market at a lower price, it is worth doing a decision analysis and resolution.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
- Mantis
- JIRA
What other advice do I have?
There are so many other tools available in market, so before investing a huge amount in Quality Center, you should analyze other tools as well.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
Download our free OpenText ALM / Quality Center Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: January 2024
Popular Comparisons
Microsoft Azure DevOps
Tricentis Tosca
Apache JMeter
OpenText UFT One
SmartBear TestComplete
OpenText ALM Octane
Worksoft Certify
Rally Software
Polarion ALM
OpenText LoadRunner Enterprise
Jama Connect
Zephyr Enterprise
Buyer's Guide
Download our free OpenText ALM / Quality Center Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Quick Links
Learn More: Questions:
- Has anyone tried integrating HP ALM and JIRA ?
- Do you have any feedback on the HPE ALM Octane release that came out in June 2016?
- What is the biggest difference between JIRA and Micro Focus ALM?
- Has anyone tried QC - JIRA Integration using HPE ALM Synchronizer ?
- Integration between HP ALM and Confluence
- Which product do you prefer: Micro Focus ALM Octane or Micro Focus ALM Quality Center?
- When evaluating Application Lifecycle Management suites, what aspects do you think are the most important to look for?
- Looking for suggestions - we need a test management and defect tracking tool which can be integrated with an automation tool.
- Looking for a Comparison of JIRA, TFS & HP ALM as a Test Management Tool
- Do you have any feedback on the HPE ALM Octane release that came out in June 2016?












