As much as the project managers like to think that testing and quality assurance is infallible, it is not. Despite the best efforts of the companies and managers, bugs and defects still persist in the system. Even as the testing metrics and techniques are improving, the software applications have become so complex and multi-dimensional – owing to the rising demands and expectations of end users – that it has become next to impossible to test all possible interactions and scenarios and still deliver on time. While trying to juggle between low costs, high quality, and timely delivery, the testing process gets affected and some defects manage to slip through the cracks, one way or another. Similar to how the continuous delivery and integration tools help the organization to coordinate and control the developmental process, the fundamental purpose of the test case management tool is to organize, triage, and monitor the testing progress.
An organization that has significant software operations requires substantial testing efforts and resources, especially if the managers want to deliver a satisfactory end product to the customers. In order to effectively handle and manage significant testing practices and processes, proficient test case management tools are necessitated. As the application moves from the initial phases of the development towards more complex and intricate stages, the issues and problems persisting in the system move from the realm of common sense problems to that of more challenging and serious logistics. Before long, the project managers and team members are struggling to keep a track of all issues and defects in the system. Therefore, in order to capture all of that, managers tend to rely on artifacts like test cases, collection of user stories, and even documentations about all requirements.
Understanding the Concept of Test Case Management
A typical test case management process entails the planning stage, the creation stage, tracking of issues and test cases, and most importantly, the execution of test cases to streamline the entire testing procedure. By triaging, organizing, and prioritizing the critical test cases and their implementation, not only are the project managers able to improve the quality, but they can also reduce the time to market. In essence, test case management has a significant bearing on the productivity of the team and their efficiency. Considering the practice of triaging and organizing test cases, and executing them in that order targets and reduces the testing efforts of the team, the overall quality assurance process is enhanced. This has a direct impact on the applications’ user experience and customer satisfaction.
Efficacy of Test Case Management Software
Developers and testers are continuously seeking and trying out new measures to help them reduce the developmental life cycle so that they are better able to keep up with shortened release cycles and sprints in agile organizations. More often than not, the stress of this comes down to the quality assurance and testing practices for the project; project managers and teams are grappling to make the testing process short and accurate for better results. While a test case management tool is an effective way of achieving these goals, there are some challenges that persist which can obscure the efforts of the team.
Here are some tips which can be followed to overcome these challenges, or better yet, avoid them altogether.
1. Tracking changes in the scope of the project is vital to the effective implementation of test case management. Any testing activity which causes a noticeable change in the scope and is not tracked or accounted for can fast become the reason for the software failure. Therefore, quality assurance teams have to follow and track issues and any changes meticulously and keep a thorough record so that the scope and timeline is adjusted accordingly.
2. It is of utmost importance for the project managers and testing teams to work together and take outliers in consideration when generating and executing test cases. Thinking beyond the explicitly stated specifications as there could be some situations where the input variables are beyond the given test case, specifications, or requirements.
3. In order to check all possible scenarios in the system and identify any vulnerabilities, the testing team is required to take various aspects from multiple testing methods. Strictly limiting themselves to only one type of testing method can translate into a problem for the project teams. Hence, it is much better to take a hybrid approach and adopt the required aspects and features from various testing methods to create a unique method which is tailor made to suit the needs of the project.
