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To create a cycle, click the + button. All of the fields except Build and Environment are mandatory.
1. Name - This is the name of the test cycle that will be displayed in the schedule
2. Build - This is an informational field for Testers to know which build/version/patch of the software they need to be testing
3. Environment - This is an informational field for Testers to know which environment they need to be running these tests in
4. Hide - Checking this box will hide this Cycle from the Test Planning (Testers) and Test Execution views
5. Start Date - The start date of this test execution cycle
6. End Date - The end date of this test execution cycle
Once the above information is entered and saved, the cycle shows up in the right pane of the tool. Note that the Start Date and End Date of the cycle has to be within the Start Date and End Date of that particular Release (see Release Setup v1).
Editing a Cycle
Test Cycle editing can be done in three ways; by selecting a test cycle contextual menu on the left and clicking on the Edit button, by selecting the cycle itself in the right pane, and by right clicking the cycle in the right pane. The Edit window allows all of the cycle data to be modified. This is very useful especially in situations where schedule slippages are occurring or dates have to be reset for other reasons. If the checkbox for Keep duration fixed is checked, then the entire cycle can be moved to start on a different date while keeping its duration fixed. If it is not checked, then both the Start Date and End Date can be modified.
Obviously, all phases in that cycle should be within its data range. If any of the phases' Start Date or End Date fall outside the range, they will be displayed in red and will need to be modified before the changes can be saved.
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