How To Improve Test Management?

Every one of the teams which are working with the Agile system know about Jira. This platform is extensively used and now organizations are creating test management tools for Jira, these tools can seamlessly integrate with the Jira environment. In this way, companies that are already using Jira can easily add-on different tools as per their requirement and they do not have to rule out previous tools to use something new. 

Jira has its own basic set of functionalities such as tracking issues related to mobile or desktop applications but with simple integration, the functionality can be enhanced magically. Now Jira’s usage is not limited and it can be tweaked as per the organization’s needs. 

For instance, few DevOps teams use this tool for test case management and with little optimization, it can be used as an end-to-end tool, serving the complete purpose. 

How test management tools for Jira improve testing efforts?

Jira can be customized in innumerable ways based on needs and test management is one of the prominent ways in which users can model it. Most companies prefer to integrate different tools in one place so that the team does not have to juggle between different platforms to get a single job done. It usually becomes frustrating for the team when the project is complex or the team is working on different tasks simultaneously, they need to go through a set of tools. Single dashboard for all needs, this not only saves time but also adds value to productivity. 

Through a single dashboard, errors can be identified easily and can be fixed too. This eliminates the unnecessary repeated processes and all teams can access the essential information simultaneously. Workflow becomes manageable which eventually results in meeting deadlines way sooner. 

Also if testers maintain separate sheets or tools for test management then the rest of the team won’t be accessing it 24 x 7. Their communication would be affected negatively and a detailed understanding of the test case would be minimal.  

Pros of Using Jira 

We know that Jira is not solely designed for testing purposes and can be customized as per needs. Here are a few benefits due to which Jira’s popularity is unmatchable.

• Allows to create customizable issue types
• Single workflow for all teams, developers, QA, and testing action
• Offer reporting facility
• Allows to integrate other tools as per your need
• Suitable for one time manual execution

Jira Apps and Add-Ons

There are numerous Add-ons available on the Atlassian marketplace which can be integrated with the system and meet the testing purpose. Few examples of add-ons are:

• To carry out manual testing, Xray for Jira and Zephyr for Jira is used.
• Teams who work around the Agile approach usually consider Behave Pro and Tricentis q Test Scenario to do the needful.

With the help of these add-ons, testing functionality through Jira is enhanced and a better and organized test case management can be carried out. For instance, using X Ray would help you to add issue type to the list of issues identified along with the steps. A lot of manual documentation and processing is alleviated though this particular add-on. 

Benefits of Using Add-Ons

Generally speaking, with these add-ons in Jira, one can easily pull test cases in the form of cycles or suites. It also helps to execute test cases in groups and work around their results. In this way, test execution becomes more visible. Few other benefits which testers can enjoy with these add-ons in Jira are:

• A similar look and feel can be maintained
• A similar or single dashboard is used for most of the work
• Easy to purchase and integrate
• Adding testing related functionality into an existing platform
• Allows you to link test objects with other functionalities

What one can expect from test case management tools?

Test case management tools come with extensive features and have numerous benefits.

• All sorts of manual and automation testing can be consolidated with these tools. 
• All the details and history of test execution can be viewed. It allows users to understand the reason where testing went wrong and why a test case failed.
• Similar test cases can be used across multiple projects, enhancing the reusability to save time and efforts. In this way, isolation of test cases is eliminated and a template of a test case can be used instead of writing the case again and again.

To get the best of both worlds, it is recommended to look out for test management tools for Jira to perform multiple tasks simultaneously through one dashboard where the entire team can access useful information.