How to get started with testing using QAlity Plus
Using dedicated software to perform your tests is extremely helpful in the testing process. It makes it more convenient and efficient, that’s for sure. However, in order to get the most of it, it’s good to know how the tool should be used and what its capabilities are. With this article, we’d like to help you achieve that. We’ll explain how to use our software, so you can make the most of it, and carry out your tests effectively.
There are two versions of our testing software available: QAlity – Test Management for Jira (free) and QAlity Plus – Test Management for Jira (more advanced, paid), but what we cover here is available in both of them.
Getting started
Starting with the app is simple and doesn’t require a lot of time. Most of the configuration will already be done during the installation. Then, just a few steps are needed from your side, and you’re all set. You can also take a look at the guide we created – it describes the app’s installation and configuration process step by step: https://community.atlassian.com/t5/Marketplace-Apps-Integrations/How-to-configure-QAlity-Test-Management-for-Jira-for-the-first/ba-p/1328012. The whole thing takes just a few minutes. Once you have everything set up, you’re good to go.
Test cases
The first thing you need to do is create a test case. A test case includes all the necessary steps, inputs, conditions, and expected results that are needed to thoroughly test a given feature. With test cases, you can plan what and how exactly you want to test. Having and keeping them allows standardization of testing which results in maintaining its quality on a proper level. You will be sure not only what and how was tested but also if nothing was missed during numerous tests.
Test cases will be visible in Jira as QAlity Tests. They will have an orange square with a magnifying glass icon next to them:
A test case will contain test steps. With each of them, you can describe what you want to test. Whatever you want to achieve with your test, write it down as an Expected result – it’s a definition of your desired outcome of the test. When you display test cases (and test steps assigned to them), you can choose between simple and detail view. If you go for the latter, additionally to a test step and expected result, there will be more information to put – test data (data connected with this particular step) and test attachments (like images and other useful files). This allows you to better describe how your tests should be performed.
Once you have a test case ready, you can edit it, add or remove steps, reorganize, clone, or delete any of them. Moreover, you can also hide test cases you don’t want to see at the moment. If they become relevant again, you can easily reveal them. There’s also an option to add labels to group test cases into functional (or other) areas. Remember that a test case with all the test steps it encompasses serves as a plan for your testing – you don’t record the testing results in test cases.
If you need more information on how to create test cases, go to our documentation where everything is described step by step: https://soldevelo.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/QS/pages/1729560626/Creating+test+cases
Test cycles
Test cases can be then grouped into test cycles. By creating a test cycle you can come up with a detailed plan for how to run your tests. Basically, you will determine which tests need to be executed. Moreover, you can plan who will execute the tests (feature available in QAlity Plus). Within a particular test cycle, you’ll be able to track the progress of test executions and reported defects.
With test cycles, it’s easier to organize and manage test cases (especially when there are many of them). You can monitor the progress of your tests – see how many were carried out, and how many of those passed & failed.
If you would like to re-execute the same test plan in the future, you don’t have to prepare it again – just simply clone the test cycle. This can be done as many times as you want. Remember to not keep adding more tests to a single test cycle indefinitely.
You can see all your test cycles on the overview page.
When you click on a particular test cycle on the list, you will be able to see details of it, such as its status and the number of test cases it contains.
For more information on how to create test cycles visit: https://soldevelo.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/QS/pages/2359328922/Test+Cycles
Test executions
When you have your test case and/or test cycle(s) ready, this means you can now perform tests. This is what test execution is for. In other words, it’s the process of executing the previously prepared test case and checking whether the expected results match the actual results.
The default status set for each test step is unexecuted. Depending on how your tests went, you can change the status to:
- In Progress – which means the tests are being performed.
- Passed – you managed to achieve the expected result, e.g. after typing in the correct password the user is able to log in.
- Failed –you didn’t manage to achieve the result you wanted; e.g. the user types in the correct password but isn’t able to log in.
- Blocked – there are some external reasons making it impossible to execute the test case, e.g. the test environment is not ready.
Additionally, the whole test execution has its own status too. You can modify the status of a few steps at once – there is no need to go through every single one if statuses repeat. Moreover, there’s an option to leave comments both next to the entire test execution and specific steps (those can also have attachments added to them). You can use them to explain why the expected result was not met. If you are executing the same test in multiple configurations, write down the test environment in the execution comment. When bugs appear, you can report them by adding them to the test step(s) where they occurred. Remember to not execute the tests if there are any changes or updates needed in your test case. If you want to apply any adjustments, make sure to do it before you begin the test execution. Any changes that you make in a test case after you start the test execution will only be reflected in the next one you perform.
Should you need any help with the practical aspect of test execution, see our documentation: https://soldevelo.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/QS/pages/3031891971/Test+Executions
Summary
With QAlity – Test Management for Jira and QAlity Plus – Test Management for Jira you can thoroughly plan and execute your tests. To summarize what test cases, test cycles, and test executions are (and aren’t) for, we’ve created these tables with QAlity dos and don'ts:
Test cases | |
DO | ✔️ Specify how to test a given feature (test steps and expectations) ✔️ Use test description to provide any preconditions ✔️ Provide data needed to run the test ✔️ Include attachments that can help testers understand what to test or what the expected result is ✔️ Add labels to group test cases into functional (or other) areas |
DON’T | ❌ Record the testing results in test cases |
Test cycles | |
DO | ✔️ Use test cycles to prepare the testing plan (what and who) ✔️ Track progress of test executions and reported defects within the test cycle ✔️ Clone the test cycle if you need to re-execute the same test plan again in the future |
DON’T | ❌ Use a single test cycle to indefinitely keep adding more tests |
Test executions | |
DO | ✔️ Record test results (what passed vs. what failed) ✔️ Use comments or attachments to explain why the expected result was not met ✔️ Write down the test environment in the execution comment, if you are executing the same test in multiple configurations |
DON’T | ❌ Execute the test until you apply necessary changes or updates in the test case (if any are needed) |
Now your testing process should be as smooth and efficient as it can.
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Ewa Grabowska-Ptak_SolDevelo_
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