How to choose the best Jira test management tool for your team?

[#1]

Tests have a significant impact on the final product’s quality - that’s quite obvious.  As software bugs do not only do cost a lot of money but also put the company’s reputation at risk, it’s critical to pay close attention to the testing process and wisely incorporate it into the rest of the development lifecycle.

Of course, you and your team can choose the so-called traditional management methods and create test case templates in e.g. Excel. But let’s face it, such sheets are rather simple, may slow down your test runs and will not entirely address different team needs. In our (and general!) opinion, it is much more profitable to rely on test management software. Why? Well,  there are multiple benefits to using it, just to mention a few, such as better collaboration, integration, easier communication, traceability, reporting and, naturally, dashboards. 

Jira, probably the best-known issue tracking software, is one of the most popular tools chosen by many test management teams. Although it was not designed to serve as a test case management solution itself, it can be easily integrated with many testing tools.  As always, the Atlassian Marketplace is a perfect place where you can find a variety of add-ons that will help to improve the functionality of Jira as a test case management tool. Obviously, the main advantage of such a solution is the seamless workflow. When using the tool that works inside Jira, you don’t have to move back and forth between various applications. In other words, you can manage the whole test lifecycle and every step of the testing process in one place. Another good news is that Jira users can try any app from the Atlassian Marketplace free of charge for 30 days. This surely helps make a decision without any commitment!

Factors affecting your choice

Ok, so we know that the offer is broad and choosing the right tool should be easy. However, here is where the inevitable question arises: how to get down to it? Well, it is clear that the best tool for your team will depend on your testing process and how you track test results. There are surely a few metrics that are relevant to you and your working style - that’s why choose the tool that will let you achieve your goals! The right test management tool for Jira should also encourage collaboration and help you and your team to share ideas. So while making your decision, always make sure that thanks to the new solution all of you will always be on the same page. 

Aside from those quite obvious arguments, there are a few factors that could help you decide which of the apps available on the Atlassian Marketplace is most suitable for your needs. In this article, we will share some ideas on what it is worth giving some thought to when choosing the best Jira test management tool for your team. 

Pricing

Price is generally of the greatest concern. No wonder that first, you have to inquire how much the particular test management tool will cost you. Here is an important note: always learn how much it costs now and how much it will cost if your team grows. Remember that Jira apps are billed based on the number of users in your host product. Additionally, take into account the fact that you always pay for all of your users - and not just the users that actively use the app. That’s why it is worth looking for the most economical option. For example, with QAlity by SolDevelo you can either go with a completely free version or the more advanced one: QAlity Plus.

Easy test creation and execution

Your testers will generate and execute a lot of test cases - that’s as sure as two and two make four. That’s why you have to find an app that catches up to your expectations. Consider how your workflow looks like and how it fits in the tool you have decided on. Apart from easy test creation/import and execution, look into the performance the tool offers. If the tool is slow and it takes seconds to complete each action, it quickly adds up to a lot of wasted time. It does not sound promising, does it? 

 Gains and benefits

Frankly, it should be the first question you ask yourself. Namely: will the test management tool help my testers work better? Can it help them make better decisions? In what way will it improve their efficiency and productivity? Think of all possible advantages of the tool and the gain it will bring you - as compared to e.g. just writing everything down in a spreadsheet. Obviously, there are many complex tools with huge lists of features, but remember that more isn’t always better. The clue is to find such a solution that will fit your team in particular. And sometimes one feature can make a whole lot of difference. For example, QAlity Plus by SolDevelo assists testers by showing bugs that have been previously reported from the same test case. In such a way, it allows them to easily create and link new bugs during test execution. Well, that’s something!

The power of reporting

Another important question to ask before choosing the Jira test management tool for your team is whether your testers or QA leads need to report their work to the management. If so, they would probably need some customizable reporting.  And it so happens that test case management tools give you really powerful reporting options as well. That’s why consider if the app you’re thinking of gives you the metrics you need and if you can get them in the format you prefer. It would be great if you could easily see all sorts of data, trends, and graphs related to the ongoing testing status of the software. Providing all of the information regarding the project in a comprehensive, easily digestible form is not to be underestimated!

 Vendor support 

Last but not least: customer support and maintenance for the app. It’s good to realize that not all Atlassian Marketplace Partners decide to provide the latter. Fortunately, this information is made available on every listing in the Atlassian Marketplace. We strongly recommend to look for those ‘supported’ tools if possible. This means you can contact the developer of the app if you are facing a bug or in order to receive more info about the product. Very useful!

Hopefully, we have made you aware of the fact that choosing the right Jira test management tool is crucial to improve the whole process of software testing. And, consequently, improved software testing, done with the appropriate tools, is likely to result in better software quality. It seems worth the gamble, doesn’t it?

[Fabian Lim]

Hi @Aleksandra Klasa

Great article. What would the competitive advantages be between qality and other test management tools such as zephyr and xray?

Thanks

[Ewa Grabowska-Ptak_SolDevelo_]

Hi @Fabian Lim ,

We are glad that you liked it. The biggest advantage of our QAlity Apps is their simplicity of use and transparency. Some of the key features are:

- Past Execution - It allows you to view the history of previous executions of each Test Case. You can easily check how the previous test executions went, which steps failed or passed, when and how. So when you encounter a bug during your test, you can easily check if it happened before or in (QAlity Plus) if it has been already reported and what’s the status of its task.

- Create or link a bug, in the test execution  - With QAlity Plus, you don’t have to switch to another tab to report a problem. You can either search for an existing bug task or create a new one in the same window.

- Bulk update of the Test Steps statuses - It might be small, but it’s something that testers brought our attention to, so we were happy to implement it. Instead of changing the status for each Test Step, our users save time and bulk update statuses of multiple Test Steps at once. Doesn’t matter if it’s five or fifty Test Steps, it will take only three clicks to change status.

- Add and manage Test Cases directly in the Jira issues - In order to keep transparency between testers and developers work, QAlity Apps allow viewing and managing Test Cases directly in Jira issues. You can even choose to select a simple view (with Test Step and the Expected Result) or detailed view (with Test Step, Test Data, Expected Result and Test Attachment). This way, everybody can easily view the testing progress. Making the testers work more approachable.

Last but not least, you don’t have to just take my word for it. You can test our tool and get a free trial of QAlity Plus or use the completely free version - QAlity App. We will also be more than happy to invite you to a free demo, please feel free to contact us through ticket here to set up a date.

Have a great day!

[Fadi Hawli]

• Keep in mind that using Jira Cloud you want to also ensure that the testing app supports Data Residency where your Testing data is pinned to the same Jira Location. Allot of apps like Zephyr do not support Data Residency. 
  
  
• look for apps that come with AI support to address Test Case generation based on your user stories. Apps like Vansah and Tricentis have managed this really well. 
  
  
• consider testing apps that allow for Confluence integration allowing you to embed your test data from Jira into confluence 
• Pricing: you have to now consider some of the new apps like Vansah, Tricentis as major competitor's especially when it comes to pricing. Many years ago it was only Zephyr and Xray but now there is competition which is great!