Test Case Template For Enhanced Software Quality

Writing effective test cases is an integral part of the software development and testing process, especially when dealing with complex applications with multiple functionalities.  Test cases serve as a reference for future testing cycles, facilitate knowledge transfer when new team members join, and help identify and document complex functionalities. They are  also essential for preventing bugs, improving test coverage, and prioritizing product releases 

What are test cases: 

A test case is a set of steps or instructions written to test a functionality or a feature of a software application. To do comprehensive testing of a software application, we need detailed test cases in place. Test cases are also the easiest way and part of the process where knowledge transfer is concerned. It can help the other person understand the application at an initial level. 

Why are test cases written: 

Test cases are usually written for the following reasons: 

1. Preventing Bugs 

3. Better test coverage 

4. Identifying and documenting complex functionalities 

5. Prioritizing them while releasing the product 

Test cases and Test scenarios : 

Test scenarios are usually derived from different aspects. It usually gives information on what all parameters are considered for evaluating the product. It can come from:

1. BRD (Business Requirement Document) 

2. Customer feedback 

3. Acceptance criteria 

4. Assumptions for the undocumented requirements 

5. Brainstorming sessions 

6. Change requests 

By using test scenarios, one creates test cases that give detailed information on 1. Steps to be followed 

2. Preconditions 

3. Data set to be used 

4. Output 

5. Dependency of the test cases

Test cases are the detailed steps derived for the test scenarios, which are to be documented to help the team increase their efficiency and save time in the future wherein the team has to refer to the past test cycles and identify missing scenarios.

Get the key difference between Test Case vs. Test Scenario

Who writes the test cases: 

The person responsible for testing the product writes the test cases. In a team that works in an agile environment, since every individual comes with their own expertise, test cases can be written by all members of the team like Developers, Quality Engineers, and Business analysts. 

Developers write the test cases as a part of the development process which we call Unit tests.  This gives us code coverage of the module most impacted by the code change 

When QA engineers are writing test cases, they usually consider the overall quality of an application, which requires several iterations and techniques. 

The business analyst or a product owner who is responsible can also write test cases from a  product fitness point of view which can later be dissected at a lower level. 

Test Case template: 

While writing a test case, a tester must have in mind to create a document which has the necessary information to execute and evaluate the test case status. A test usually consists of the below parameters. 

1. Test case id: Each test must have a unique id that can be mapped to the Story id or Req id in the tool used in the team, which helps to keep track and calculate the test coverage. You  can refer to a requirement document matrix for the same 

2. Description: A brief description of what the functionality is about and test scenarios it is  derived from, along with a brief idea of the business requirement, would be helpful for a new  person to understand it in a better way  

3. Module Name: The module to which the test steps belong, which helps us later to find out the dependent and impacted modules which need to be prioritized for testing. 

4. Complexity: What is the complexity of the test case? It can be (Simple, Medium or  Complex), which helps us to decide which one to pick first when a time crunch is there. We can simply filter out the complex scenarios and plan the testing. 

5. Preconditions: The ideal environment to perform the steps for both positive and negative scenarios.  

6. Test steps: Detailed steps which are followed by the user to perform the actions intended. 

7. Test Data: A comprehensive test data set that the user has to use to execute the test case. It can be dummy data created in lower environments, but it is always preferred to use real user data to get a better output. 

8. Expected Results: The result expected after completing the steps. It can be a message or another landing page, an error message (in case of a negative test case), or a confirmation message (for a successful transaction). 

9. Actual Result: Capturing the system’s behavior after the steps are performed and  comparing it to the expected result 

10. Status: Set the status as PASS/Fail as per the previous step result. If the status is failed  create and tag the bug for the specific test case 

11. Priority: We need to set the priority of the test cases based on conditions like functionality which has the greatest impact on major workflows of a system and to be executed at all times or based on risks and coverage and functionalities which have less impact and can be neglected for a release.

Few best practices to follow while writing test cases: 

1. Aim for corner/edge case scenarios 

2. Write the test steps precisely focusing on the scope  

3. Attach and refer relevant test data or documents needed to be referred to in any step

4. Avoid using the complex English language 

5. Don’t rely on assumptions while writing test cases 

6. Gather as much domain knowledge as you can before you start on test ideas 

7. Get your test cases reviewed by the product owner or BA and gather their feedback

8. Keep past user behaviors, and bugs in mind and include those in your test steps 

9. Look beyond UI, and try to find non-functional test cases for the feature 

10. Take the help of automation to increase productivity by reducing repetitive tasks and  focusing more on creating better test ideas 

11. Use test management tools actively to reduce maintenance.

Use tools for automated testing: 

Taking the help of tools for writing test cases decreases the effort of the team to a maximum percentage. By using these tools, we can increase the consistency, accuracy, and reusability of the test cases.  

In order to write automated test cases

1. We need to decide the scope of the testing and identify the test scenarios for test automation

2. We need to pick an automation tool that best suits the requirements and skill sets of the team members.  

3. Design and execute the test cases and evaluate the results in an automated manner whenever required. 

Creating and Managing test cases through Testsigma: 

To write, execute and maintain automated test cases, Testsigma offers a user-friendly platform where one can create different categories as per the requirement. 

Define Testcase type: 

Using the platform, users can automate different types of test cases such as UI, Functional, Nonfunctional, Integration, Regression, and Usability tests. These tests can be for web, mobile, desktop, or APIs.

As Testsigma is a no-code test automation tool, automating your tests is as easy as writing test cases in English.

Set priorities: 

Users also can set priorities (Critical, High, Medium, Low ) for the created test cases inside the tool. Users are able to create customized priorities such as (eg: supercritical). 

Define the requirements: 

The user can also create its own requirement types from which the test case has been derived,  as the requirements for the test cases come from different inputs. 

Maintaining test cases: 

While adding, updating, and removing test cases from the tool, it keeps track of past activities and helps avoid human error. It has history saved for each action that happened for the test step created by the user. 

Users also can filter the required steps through different tags added to the test steps Import and export: 

Users can import the created test cases from different platforms such as jira , testsigma helps migrate or to upload the test steps in bulk where users need to make changes in all the existing test cases. 

Users can also import from the GitHub repository through a YAML/zip file and directly through a .json file exported from your Postman collection.

Other features:

With Testsigma, you can start automating your test cases in minutes.
Testsigma also lets you execute your tests on 3000+ real devices and browsers, in parallel. Thus, saving you tonnes of time.

Testsigma is also available as an open-source and free version.

Start automating your test cases with Testsigma Open source

Find more information on automating your test cases with Testsigma at Test Cases – Overview

Summary: 

Maintaining test cases can be a challenge in an agile environment, where requirements are subject to frequent changes. However, using automated tools can be valuable in such scenarios, allowing the team to adjust to changing requirements while keeping their test cases up-to-date. 

Hope you find it useful 

Happy testing ☺

Frequently Asked Questions:

What are the main 5 required elements of a test case? 

1. Gathering the right requirement criteria

2. Keep the user behaviour in mind.

3. Prerequisites are the most important part of any test case

4. Create concise test cases , which is easily readable by other people
5. Maintain and update the test cases whenever required

What are the 4 qualities of a test case?

1. Written in a precise and concise way

2. Easy to understand for everyone

3. Covers all aspects of testing 

4. Easy to maintain 

How do I create a test case in Jira?

1. Log into your Jira account and navigate to the project where you want to add the test cases.

2. Click on the “Issues” tab in the top navigation bar.

3. Select “Create Issue” to create a new issue.

4. In the “Create Issue” form, select the issue type as “Test”.

5. Fill in the required information such as summary, description, and any other relevant fields.

6. In the description or comments section, you can provide detailed steps for the test case, expected results, and any other necessary information.

7. Assign the issue to the appropriate team member responsible for executing the test case by selecting their name from the “Assignee” field.

8. Set the priority and other relevant fields based on your project’s requirements.

9. If necessary, you can attach files or screenshots to the test case by using the “Attachments” section.

10. Save the issue to create the test case in Jira.

11. Repeat the above steps for each additional test case you want to add.