User Guide
Introduction
Reports in BriefSpec help you create ready-to-share project reports through a guided chat experience. Instead of building a report from scratch, you choose a report type, select the project scope, and BriefSpec generates a professional document with narrative, charts, and tables.
This feature is designed for project managers, Test leads and client stakeholders who need clear status, coverage, defect, and execution insights without leaving BriefSpec.
This guide explains how to open Reports, choose the right report type, generate a report, download it as a Word document, and revise it with simple instructions.
Accessing Reports
From the main BriefSpec left hand side menu navigation, click Reports. This opens the Reports chat workspace, where you generate and refine reports through conversation.
Reports option is only available to users in the Enterprise Plan.
Before you can generate reports:
- Your user role must have permission to use Reports / AI-powered features.
- AI-powered features must be enabled for your tenant.
- You must have access to the projects you want to report on.
When the page opens, you will see starter prompts such as Generate a Defects Report or Generate an Overall Requirement Coverage Report. You can click a starter prompt or type your own request in the chat box.
Available Report Types
BriefSpec currently supports eight report types. Choose the one that matches your need.
Test Cycle Executive Report
An executive summary for one selected Test Cycle. Use this when leaders need a concise view of Test cycle progress, risk, and outcomes.
Required selections: Project and Test Cycle.
Test Executions Report
An operational view of executions for one selected Test Cycle. Use this when you need tester progress, section performance, failures, and execution workload detail.
Required selections: Project and Test Cycle.
Test Cycles Portfolio Report
A cross-cycle portfolio view for a project. Use this to compare multiple Test Cycles side by side.
Required selections: Project.
Defects Report
A project-level defects report with KPIs, breakdowns, and a defect register summary. Use this for open defect risk and ownership visibility.
Required selections: Project.
Service Requests Report
A project-level Service Requests report with analytics and a register summary. Use this for request volume, status, and ownership insights.
Required selections: Project.
Overall Requirement Coverage Report
Requirement coverage for a selected Phase, with optional linked Test Cycle execution evidence. Use this to answer how covered requirements are for a release or phase.
Required selections: Project and Phase. A Test Cycle may also be requested when the selected Phase has linked cycles.
Historical Requirement Coverage Report
Daily coverage trends for a selected Phase over time. Use this to show how coverage improved (or stalled) across the phase timeline.
Required selections: Project and Phase. A Test Cycle may also be requested when the selected Phase has linked cycles.
Requirement Traceability Report
A requirement-to-test and execution traceability matrix for a selected Phase. Use this to identify traced, not executed, and uncovered requirements.
Required selections: Project and Phase. A Test Cycle may also be requested when the selected Phase has linked cycles.
Generating a Report
Reports follows a short guided conversation. Click on the report name — BriefSpec asks clarifying questions when your request is ambiguous.
Step 1 — Start the request
Click a starter prompt, or type a natural request such as Generate a Defects Report for my HCM project or I need an executive snapshot for UAT Cycle 1.
Step 2 — Select project scope
Use the on-screen selectors when prompted:
- Project — always required.
- Phase — required for requirement coverage and traceability reports.
- Test Cycle — required for Executive and Test Executions reports; optional for some phase reports when linked cycles exist.
You can only select projects, phases, and cycles you are authorized to access. If a list looks empty, confirm that the project has the related data and that your role can view it.
Step 3 — Add optional instructions
Before generation, you can add optional instructions such as Focus on open Critical defects or Emphasize risks for leadership. These instructions shape the narrative and presentation. They do not invent new numbers — report values always come from your live project data.
Step 4 — Confirm and generate
When BriefSpec asks for confirmation, reply Yes, Proceed, or Generate. The assistant then collects data, composes the report, and renders an on-screen preview in the chat.
Generation may take a short time depending on project size and report type. Progress messages appear in the conversation while the report is being prepared.
Reading the Generated Report
When generation completes, the report appears as a card in the chat conversation. The card typically shows:
- Report title
- Project, Phase, and/or Test Cycle context
- Revision number and data snapshot version (for most report types)
- Generated date/time
- An executive summary lead paragraph
- Narrative sections, tables, and charts
Charts and status values in the preview are based on authorized project data. Status labels such as Pass, Fail, Open, Closed, Traced, or Uncovered may appear with color cues to make scanning easier.
For large registers (for example Defects, Service Requests, or Portfolio cycle lists), the on-screen preview may show a subset of rows. When that happens, BriefSpec displays a truncation note so you know how many rows are shown versus how many matched.
Downloading a Report
Each report card includes a DOCX download button. Click DOCX to download a portrait Word document you can share with stakeholders, attach to governance packs, or archive outside BriefSpec.
The downloaded file includes the same narrative structure, tables, and charts rendered for print. Keep in mind that very large registers may also be truncated in the Word file; truncation notes call this out when it applies.
Revising a Report
After a report is generated, you can refine it without starting over. Type what you want changed in the chat, for example:
- Make the summary shorter for executives.
- Highlight Critical and High severity defects.
- Add more commentary on failed executions by section.
- Focus on uncovered requirements.
BriefSpec creates a new revision of the same report. Earlier revisions remain available on the report card so you can switch between versions (for example v1, v2, v3).
Revisions change presentation and emphasis. They do not recalculate unauthorized or invented metrics. If you need the latest live numbers, ask BriefSpec to refresh the data and regenerate using current project data.
Working with Multiple Reports
You can generate more than one report in the same conversation. Earlier report cards remain visible above newer ones, so you can compare outputs or download previous reports without losing context.
If you change the report type mid-conversation, BriefSpec confirms the change and guides you through any new required selections (for example switching from Defects to a Phase Coverage report).
Tips for Better Results
- Be specific about the audience. Ask for an executive summary when you need a leadership view, or an executions report when you need operational detail.
- Choose the correct Phase for coverage and traceability reports. Coverage is phase-scoped, not always project-wide.
- For Test Cycle reports, confirm you selected the intended cycle. Published and completed cycles usually contain the execution data stakeholders expect.
- Use optional instructions for emphasis and tone. Ask to refresh data when the underlying project data has changed.
- Download the DOCX when you are ready to share outside BriefSpec. Keep chatting in Reports when you still want to refine the narrative.
Important Notes
Reports summarize authorized project data available at the time of generation. If your role has Own-scope access, some operational reports may include only the rows you are permitted to see.
AI helps compose the narrative and structure. Authoritative counts, statuses, and chart values come from BriefSpec project data — not from free-form invention.
Important: Always review the generated report before sharing externally. Confirm the project, phase, and cycle context in the report header, and verify that the story matches the decisions your team is making.