Jama Connect User Guide

Actions help clarify and surface important conversations in the stream by identifying a comment as one of three types: decision, question, or issue.

An approver reviews content against a particular standard and approves or rejects an item for correctness or completeness.

Attachments are external files such as images, documents and spreadsheets that can be attached to an item.

A baseline captures the state of selected items and their relationships within a project at a certain point in time.

The Baseline Compared to Current Report displays a side-by-side comparison of items and relationships in a baseline and their current versions.

The Baseline Comparison Report displays a side-by-side comparison of items and relationships in two baselines.

Baseline IDs are unique IDs assigned to each baseline. Baseline IDs are automatically generated and numbered sequentially in the order they were created. They cannot be edited or duplicated.

With batch transitions, you can select multiple items of the same item type and transition them to a different workflow status. 

The Bidirectional Traceability Report displays upstream and downstream relationships for a selected container of items.

Bookmarks are links to content you view frequently at the top of your homepage.

This panel slides in from the bottom of the center panel to give more detail on items such as relationships, the activity stream, version history, and merged items.

Change requests are items that call for a change to a particular product or system. 

An item that falls hierarchically below a parent item of the same item type.

A collaborator license is a named or floating license that gives read-only privileges to those who need visibility into a project, but don’t need editing rights. These users can view items, provide comments, participate in (but not create) reviews, execute test runs and log defects.

Comments are user-created messages found in the stream or in reviews.

Compare View shows side by side content so you can compare differences between different item versions.

A component is a structural container used to organize a project into more manageable pieces. 

Jama Connect uses three container types to help with organization of document items: components, sets and folders.

A contributor in a risk analysis can open, view, and edit any analysis to which they are invited. Contributors must have a creator license in Jama Connect.

Coverage is the extent to which items are validated by another item. 

The Coverage Explorer is tool to view or export a set of items, including related items that provide desired coverage.

A creator license is a named or floating license that gives full read and edit rights, and full access to reviews, for those who are active users managing items and projects on a daily basis.

The dashboard can be configured to show key metrics about your project so you can see what areas of your work need attention.

Dashboard widgets are small embedded applications that compile and display data from a single project or filter.

In a relationship, the item that could be impacted by another is downstream from that item.

Electronic signatures consist of a username and password. In the case of a review, a moderator can require electronic signatures to show that a particular person in a particular role approves of the review. Electronic signatures can also be added to baselines.

The Explorer Tree organizes the sets, components, folders and items in your project hierarchy.

You can export data from Jama Connect as Word or Excel documents. You can also customize the format of your export with Office Templates.

A field holds a basic unit of data in an item type.

A filter a subset of items, users, reviews etc. from a larger collection. These may be available as simple or advanced filters.

A folder is used to organize your work. Jama connect uses item folders, baseline folders and project folders.

Global IDs are unique identifiers of items connected through synchronization. 

Harm is a physical injury or damage to the health of people, or damage to property or the environment.

A hazard is the potential source of a harm.

A hazardous situation is a circumstance in which people, property, or the environment are exposed to one or more hazard(s).

The homepage can show links to your most relevant content, like bookmarks, recent views, open reviews and stream comments or actions.

Impact Analysis shows you the entire picture of all upstream and downstream related items that might be affected by changes.

You can import data into Jama Connect from Microsoft Word, Excel, and IBM Doors. 

The Import Relationships Plugin helps you batch create relationships between existing items in the application.

The index is a list of information about each item that ensures proper display, sorting, filtering and searching of data.

Items are the building blocks of Jama. Projects are made up of items. Items are made up of fields. Items can be containers (sets, folders, components or parent items) or documents (features, requirements, test cases, tasks, defects). 

The item counter automatically assigns numbers to items as part of their ID.

Item IDs are unique identifiers for each item that, unlike a Global IDs, cannot be duplicated.

The Items in a Set Report displays a tabular list of items in a set. 

Item types are the templates for sets used within each project.

Item widgets add functionality to item types (for example, add links, attachments, relationships and tags)

The left panel is where you can find and organize your data. It contains the Explorer Tree, advanced filters, releases, baselines, tests and tags.  

The license gives permission to an organization to install and run the Jama Connect application.

The license type limits the possible permissions and roles that may be granted to a user (for example creator, stakeholder, test runner and reviewer).

List View shows data from multiple items in a table with a different field in each column so you can sort, select and compare items at a glance. 

A lock makes items read-only. Locks can be set automatically or manually.

A review moderator is a user who creates and manages a review. A risk moderator is a user who creates and manages a risk analysis. Moderators must have a creator license type.

Notifications are optional emails sent to groups or individuals alert you when certain changes have been made.

Microsoft Office Templates are Word documents and Excel spreadsheets that allow you to add formatting to your exports.

An organization represents the entire group of users who have access to your instance of Jama Connect as well as all the projects, items and data. 

An organization administrator has administrative control of the Jama Connect application. An organization may have one or more organization administrators. 

The probability that a hazardous situation occurs.

The probability that a hazardous situation results in harm.

Permissions allow users to do things such as access, modify and delete items or perform other specific tasks.

Pick lists are a set of specific values that can be entered into a field.

A project is a way of organizing your data in Jama Connect and is made up of items, filters, baselines, releases, reports and tests.

A project administrator is a role that has the necessary permissions to manage a particular project.

The project key is a unique identifier, automatically created with each project, that makes up the first part of each item's Unique ID. 

You can set up a workflow in Projects so that users at your organization can move items in your project along a similar path as they progress. 

Reading View shows both text and images for a particular group of items so you can read through selected items like a document.

Relationships link items together and can help assess the impact an item or group of items can have on other items.

The Relationship Status Indicator shows how many relationships an item has, as well as whether those relationships meet the project's relationship rules.

 A release is a group of items that are developed together and mapped to a specific completion date. 

The Release Status Report displays the current state of the items within a particular release.

Replicated snapshots are backups of the admin console settings, Docker containers and the Jama Connect license.

A report is a document that helps you analyze the current status and progress in your work. Reports can include graphs, tabular data, metrics and other roll-ups.

Required fields are string, text or date fields that are configured so that the user must enter data into the field before saving an item.

Jama Software REST API is an application program interface to assist developers in a clean, straightforward integration with the application.

Reuse is the duplication of an item within a project or to a different project where it can be modified without affecting the original item.

A reuse administrator is a role with the permissions needed to manage reuse.

Reviews help teams, stakeholders and customers collaborate in Jama Connect discuss, review, revise and approve information.

A review administrator is a role with the permissions needed to manage reviews.

The Review Center Stats Report displays the progress of a specific review.

A reviewer participates in a review to provide feedback. 

A reviewer license is a named or floating license that grants permission to participate in reviews, act as approvers, moderators, or review administrators, and respond to comments in the stream. A reviewer license does not allow users to initiate reviews or access items in the core project.

A reviews workflow is a tool for moderators to update the status of reviewed items. When configured, the reviews workflow automatically updates field values for review items of the same type and review status. 

The right panel slides out to provide more specific information about the data you have selected.

A risk administrator has full permissions to create and edit risk templates and analyses and manage participants.

The procedures or requirements implemented to reduce risk levels.

The means by which a risk will be reduced. 

Confirmation that specified requirements have been fulfilled.

Risk IDs are unique IDs assigned to each row in an analysis. Risk IDs are automatically generated across all analyses and numbered sequentially in the order they were created.

Risk management is the systematic application of management policies, procedures and practices to the tasks of analyzing, evaluating, controlling and monitoring risk. (ISO 14971)

You can search an index of all database fields, as well as text within Word, PDF or text attachments, to bring up a list of resulting items.

Signature meaning is a system setting that states the meaning of the electronic signature. It is required for FDA 21 CFR Part 11 compliance. In Jama Connect, it defaults to "I approve this review" and cannot be modified. The signature meaning is visible in review invitations.

A signer role indicates the capacity in which an approver provided their electronic signature in a review. Signer roles are created from user group names.

A role is a set of permissions granted to a user so that they can perform a particular job. 

A structural container with configurable access rights, used to group items of the same type. It can also contain folders, text Items, child text items and child items of the same type.

The set key identifies item sets within your project and does not have to be unique across sets or projects.

The events that lead to a hazardous situation.

Severity is the measure of the possible consequences of a hazard.

A stakeholder license is a named license that gives read-only privileges to those who need visibility into a project, but don’t need editing rights. Stakeholders can view items, provide comments and act as reviewers.

Single Item View displays the information about one item in the center panel.

The stream is a collection of the most recent comments and/or activities (adds, deletes or edits).

Suspect links on an item mean it may no longer be correct or complete, because changes have been made to items upstream.

Synchronization monitors for differences between reused items and containers. When differences exist, users have the option to update the data for those items or containers.

The system administrator handles the overall installation, setup and configuration of Jama Connect, and does not have access to projects. They do not require a special license, and are the only user who can log in to the system as "root user".

System fields (like, name,  test steps, test case status and review status) are automatically created to provide system functionality and cannot be disabled or deleted.

The system health report is an optional feature that notifies administrators of areas of the application that can affect performance and user experience.

Tags are labels you can attach to items that can help you find items that have something in common.

The Task List with Estimates Report displays all item types and sums their estimates if applicable.

A temporary license is a 30-day full creator license, automatically granted to a non-licensed individual whose email address is used to invite them to a review or to comment in the stream. It has no default permissions except for the discussion thread or review to which they were invited, although an organization administrator can add permissions.

Test cases are items that contain the tests needed to validate or verify product features or systems.

Test case status is an automatically calculated status that indicates the state of the last edited test run associated with that test case.

Test cycles convert groups of test cases into a series of test runs that are ready for execution. 

Test groups let you combine and label similar tests in a test plan.

A test plan is an item that documents the overall strategy for validating or verifying that a product or system meets its design specifications and requirements. 

The Test Plan Detail Report displays the details of a test plan.

A test run is an item used to record results for a test case you ran against your product.

A test runner license is a named license that includes basic permissions to read and review, as well as the additional ability to create test plans and defects, and execute test runs. 

Test run status indicates the current state of a test run, and is used in calculating test case status.

Test steps are distinct steps used to run a test. 

A text item contains only a few specific fields (ID, Name, Description) and item widgets. It can be useful for providing context to the reader. 

A thread dump is a snapshot of the state of your application instances' processes at a point in time.

The toolbar is located at the top of the center panel.

Traceability shows the relationship between items that depend upon and define each other. You can always travel upstream or downstream to get more context and trace product definition from high level requirements all the way through final tests.

The trace matrix is a visual representation of relationships within a project.

The Trace Relationships Report displays items with their downstream relationships.

Trace View shows related upstream and downstream items, missing relationships, and item details in context of their relationship.

A trial license is a 30-day license granted to new users who sign up for a trial of Jama Connect on jamasoftware.com.

In a relationship, the item that can impact another item is said to be upstream from that item.

Unique IDs, or item IDs, identify an item with a project key, set key and a a set counter. Unique IDs remain the same even if item name or content is changed. They cannot be edited or duplicated.

A user is a basic role associated with a unique Jama login. Each user has their own license type, groups, and permissions.

User groups are an efficient way to manage notifications, permissions, access, and actions for multiple users at a time.

With the User Import Plugin, organization administrators can add multiple users at once by importing a spreadsheet. 

The User List Report displays a list of all the active and inactive users associated with the organization.

A version is one of a sequence of copies of an item, each incorporating new modifications. There are versions of reviews and versions of items.

A viewer can read, but not edit, a risk analysis. 

Widgets are small embedded applications that add functionality to the dashboard or item types.

A workflow is an automated set of transitions from one status to another, over the course of an item's lifespan.