Cultivating Quality Assurance: Harnessing the Potential of Comprehensive Test Case Development
Test cases are written to verify that your software is working as expected. Test cases are written either by the testers or have a separate team of test case writers. The test cases ascertain whether an application or a feature is working correctly. Systems or applications must be tested thoroughly to make sure they behave in determined manner in all instances of input conditions.
Writing test cases is a challenge and to write better test cases one requires to understand the requirements in detail and how the software functions along with the knowledge of where the testing process will fit in during the development process. Test cases are written to identify the defects earlier in the software development process.
Defining Test Cases
Test cases are directives for the testers to follow them and make sure the programs under tests are functioning properly. They describe how the software should behave in positive, negative and error conditions. Test cases are derived by referring to the requirements and transform into a set of happy paths, negative paths and error operating test conditions and expected results that indicate how an application should function.
A thorough test case should identify expected and unexpected results and any deviation in the results should be reported as a defect/bug. Test cases help in intensifying the reliability and quality of the application by revealing the loopholes or mistakes in the system.
So, test cases are specific instructions that can be used to test a particular function or feature of an application to check whether they work as expected under specific conditions.
Difference between Test Scenario and Test cases
Test Scenarios unlike Test Cases are high-level descriptions of how a specific function or feature of an application should work. They may require multiple test cases to cover different conclusions or consequences.
The terms Test cases and Test Scenarios are mostly used interchangeably in the arena of testing, but the difference is that the test scenarios provide a broader picture of what is being accomplished in the tests and the test cases cover minute details of various conditions to be tested.
Consider the login page or a contact us form where the user is asked to enter the email address as an example. Here you may have test cases like:
- Keeping the email field empty
- Entering @ more than once in the email address
- Having an empty space before or after the email address
- Entering email address in all capital letters or capitalizing the first letter
- Entering those characters which are not allowed to be a part of email address.
- Entering valid email address.
Here test scenarios will cover a few or all the above test cases and represent the descriptions like:
- User enters invalid email address.
- User keeps the email field empty and tries to login.
- User enters valid email address and successfully login.
Types of Test Cases
The requirements specifications of an application or a system have various purposes to meet the end user’s expectations. The test cases are indifferent to the requirements as those are derived from it and hence serve different purposes during the testing. Being aware of the distinction between these differences aids in directing the efforts of a quality assurance engineer in selecting the appropriate test format.
Let us look at the various types of test cases that can be derived from the requirements:
- Functional Test Cases: The most important of all test cases to write. These test cases are designed to verify the functionality of the software under development and ensure that each feature of the system works correctly.
- Integration Test Cases: Test cases that interact between the different modules or components of the software. These test cases make sure that various components work together to form a seamless product.
- Unit Test Cases: These test cases are usually written by the developers to check individual units or components of the software in isolation. Unit testing is important and critical as it allows developers to identify bugs early in the development cycle, which not only saves time but also significantly reduces the cost of bug fixing.
- Regression Test Cases: Regression test cases usually are executed at the end of a development cycle. They are designed to make sure that none of the existing functionality is affected by the development of new features or components during a development cycle. While executing these test cases they not only include the test cases of the existing functionality but also the test cases written during the cycle thus making sure that legacy functionality continues to work as expected after making the changes.
- Performance Test Cases: Assessments of the performance and scalability of the software under various conditions such as stress, load, concurrency are covered under the performance test cases. These test cases ensure that the system runs fast enough to respond to the end user’s activities or requests and do not crash or fail to respond under load circumstances.
- User Interface (UI) Test Cases: The graphical user interface of the software application that interacts with the user is validated by the UI test cases. The UI test cases ensures that the software application is user-friendly and intuitive to the users. These test cases check that each UI element is displayed correctly, works as expected and easy to use.
- Security Test Cases: Test cases that assess security measures implemented in the software that protect against unauthorized access, data breaches and other security threats by malicious users. These test cases ascertain the security, privacy, and confidentiality of the data.
- Usability Test Cases: Usability test cases helps to check if the users can use the application with ease. They make sure that the users can use the application without confusion or any difficulty. They evaluate the overall usability and user experience of the software, focusing on factors such as ease of navigation, clarity of instructions, and accessibility.
- Compatibility Test Cases: Compatibility of the application with different operating systems, browsers, mobile devices, hardware configurations, backend builds etc are covered in the compatibility test cases.
- Localization Test Cases: Test cases that ensure that the software is adapted and localized appropriately for different languages, cultures, and regions.
- User Acceptance Test: UAT cases are test cases specifically designed to validate that a system meets the requirements and expectations of its end users. These test cases are typically created based on user stories, use cases, and other documentation outlining the functional and non-functional requirements of the system.
Responsibility of writing the Test Cases
Test cases are preferably written by the testing team, test engineers, Quality Assurance team, test manager or a test lead.
There are various approaches in writing the test cases where those are written single handedly by the testing team or jointly by the test team and developers or sometimes the product owners are also involved.
Writing Test Cases Comprehensively
Comprehensive test cases must be clear, accurate and thoroughly written covering all aspects of the functionality being tested as they will be the guiding force for the testers who execute them.
Some steps to write the test cases comprehensively are as follows:
- Understand the Requirements: Begin by thoroughly understanding the requirements or user stories associated with the functionality you are testing.
- Determine the Scope: identify the scope and expected behaviour of the feature.
- Break down functionality: Break down the functionality into smaller, discrete testable units. Identify all possible scenarios, inputs, and conditions that need to be tested.
- Create Test Scenarios: Create test scenarios that cover different aspects and variations of the functionality.
- Identify the test data: Identifying valid and invalid inputs, boundary conditions, edge cases, and any other relevant data points.
- Write Test Steps: Detailed instructions on how to execute the test such as pre-conditions, test data inputs, actions to be performed and expected outcomes are to be considered while writing test steps. The steps should be clear and concise for each test scenario.
- Include Preconditions and Postconditions: Specify any preconditions that must be met before the execution of the tests as well as the post conditions that should be observed after the test is complete.
- Positive and Negative testing: Consider covering both positive and negative test cases and or scenarios in your test cases. Positive testing validates that the system behaves as expected under normal conditions or user inputs and negative testing verifies that the system handles unexpected and erroneous inputs.
- Functional and non-functional test coverage: Functional aspects of the requirements should be covered in detail while writing the test cases. Not only that but also the non-functional aspects of the requirements such as scalability, performance, usability, and security should be covered.
- Review and Refine: Reviewing the test cases among the team members is essential as they ensure that the test cases are comprehensive and reflect the intended functionality that covers the requirements. Reviewing of test cases should not only be done by the testers but also by the stakeholders such as product owner, project manager, developers and should be revised and refined as needed based on the feedback provided by them.
- Prioritize and organize: Based on the importance and criticality to the system the test cases should be prioritized. Logically organizing them facilitates execution of the test cases as well as maintains the traceability of the requirements.
- Document Assumptions and Constraints: Document any assumptions or constraints that may impact the test execution or results. This helps ensure that all stakeholders have a clear understanding of the test scope and limitations.
By following these steps, you can create comprehensive test cases that effectively validate the functionality of your software and ensure its quality and reliability.
There are a few other areas one must keep in mind while writing the test cases:
Reusability and maintenance of test cases: The reusability of test cases refers to the capability of using a test case multiple times across different testing scenarios, projects, or phases of the software development lifecycle. Reusable test cases offer several advantages:
- Efficiency: Reusing test cases saves time and effort by eliminating the need to create new test cases for similar functionalities or scenarios.
- Consistency: Reusable test cases promote consistency in testing practices and ensure that the same test conditions are applied consistently across different projects or iterations.
- Reliability: Test cases that have been used and validated multiple times are more likely to be reliable and effective in identifying defects and verifying functionality.
- Scalability: Reusable test cases can be scaled and adapted to accommodate changes in requirements, updates to the software, or expansions of the testing scope.
- Maintenance: Reusable test cases are easier to maintain and update than creating new test cases from scratch. Updates or modifications to a reusable test case can be applied universally, ensuring consistency, and reducing the risk of errors.
- Regression Testing: Reusable test cases are valuable for regression testing, as they can be rerun to verify that new changes or updates to the software have not introduced regressions or unintended side effects.
Develop test cases from the viewpoint of the end user: Creating test cases with the end user’s perspective in mind involves designing and executing test cases that simulate real-world usage scenarios and prioritize the user experience. This approach ensures that the software meets the needs, expectations, and preferences of its intended users.
Several benefits of writing high quality test cases
Writing high-quality test cases offers several benefits to the software development process and the overall quality of the product. Some of these benefits include:
- Improved Software Quality: High-quality test cases help identify defects and issues early in the development process, allowing them to be addressed promptly. This results in higher-quality software with fewer bugs and issues.
- Effective Requirement Validation: Well-written test cases validate that the software meets the specified requirements and performs as expected. They ensure that all features and functionalities function correctly and deliver the intended value to users.
- Reduced Risks: High-quality test cases mitigate the risk of software failures, defects, and errors. They help identify and address potential risks and vulnerabilities before they impact end users or the business.
- Increased Efficiency: Clear and comprehensive test cases streamline the testing process and make it easier for testers to execute tests efficiently. This results in faster testing cycles and quicker identification of defects.
- Enhanced Collaboration: High-quality test cases promote collaboration between different stakeholders involved in the software development process, such as developers, testers, and business analysts. They provide a common reference point for understanding requirements and expectations.
- Better Documentation: Well-documented test cases serve as valuable documentation for future reference. They provide insights into the intended functionality of the software and help maintain consistency and clarity in testing practices.
- Cost Savings: Detecting and fixing defects early in the development process is more cost-effective than addressing them later in the lifecycle. High-quality test cases contribute to cost savings by reducing rework, debugging efforts, and potential liabilities.
- Improved User Satisfaction: High-quality test cases validate that the software meets user expectations and delivers a seamless user experience. This leads to higher user satisfaction, increased adoption rates, and improved brand reputation.
Compliance and Regulatory Alignment: In regulated industries, high-quality test cases ensure that the software complies with relevant standards, regulations, and industry best practices. They help demonstrate due diligence and ensure legal and regulatory compliance.
Test Case Template
A test case template is a standardized format or structure used to document the details of a test case. It typically includes various sections to capture essential information about the test case, such as the test case ID, description, test steps, expected results, actual results, and any other relevant details.
Common elements that may be included in a test case template:
- Test Case ID: A unique identifier for the test case, which helps in tracking and referencing the test case throughout the testing process.
- Test Case Description: A brief description or summary of the purpose and objective of the test case.
- Preconditions: Any prerequisites or conditions that must be met before the test case can be executed.
- Test Steps: A detailed list of the steps or actions to be taken to execute the test case. Each step should be clear, concise, and sequential.
- Test Data: The input data or test data required to execute the test case. This may include specific values, parameters, or conditions.
- Expected Results: The expected outcome or result of each step of the test case. This helps in determining whether the test case has passed or failed.
- Actual Results: The actual outcome or result observed during the execution of the test case. This is typically recorded after the test case has been executed.
- Pass/Fail Criteria: Criteria for determining whether the test case has passed or failed based on the actual results observed.
- Notes/Comments: Any additional notes, comments, or observations related to the test case, such as known issues, concerns, or recommendations.
By using a standardized test case template, organizations can ensure consistency, clarity, and completeness in their test case documentation. This facilitates effective communication, collaboration, and reporting throughout the testing process.
