Why Google Sheets are not enough for Test Management?
While considering the important duties of a QA team, test case management would be among the top few which need to be dealt with effectively. Often testers are not only required to create test cases and record them but they also have to record the results of the execution taking place. To perform the task simultaneously, testers require a solution where they can perform the duties in a parallel way. To make things more convenient, a lot of testing teams are moving from traditional excel sheets to cloud-based google sheets so that they can collaborate in real-time and won’t depend on other teammates to perform a certain task.
Though google sheets are a lot more adaptable as it has its own set of benefits which include being free, web-based, support macros, inherit excel functionality, and is stable enough but still when it comes to proper test case management, there are plenty of other things which an organization should consider before choosing the tools for their business. You can easily find the list of tools but they need to align with your business idea and the practices you follow. Tools which can be easily integrated with other software are given priority as it helps you to monitor the workflow through a single dashboard.
If you are working on an enterprise-level or the nature of your project keeps getting complex with each passing day then you definitely need a better way to manage your work. Start hunting for the test management tools as surviving on google sheets become cumbersome to update, you can’t just update information row after row and have to go through the whole process to execute the reports. This is surely a pain for an advanced level project. Below mentioned are few features which one can enjoy with automated test management tools which cannot be availed from Google Sheets
Features not available in Google Sheets
Import/Export Capabilities
If you have spent years or months on documenting the requirements of your projects and business then import and export features would be needed by this time. There are chances that you started test case management through a google sheet but with time its usability reaches the limitation. At this point, you need to import some excel sheets and documents in the system as you will be having hundreds of test cases and obviously you can’t rewrite everything from scratch.
This feature makes the overall process quick and future work can be easily maintained and updated. Similarly, the export facility also becomes crucial at times. When you plan to change tools and require to share documents with someone else, these tools allow you to export all the data.
Test Runs can be Customized
While performing software testing, test runs are performed which comprise a set of test cases. Each test run is different as it is designed for a specific feature. With the help of the test management tool, relative test cases can be easily selected from the repository to form the test run and it can be positively customized based on requirements. Forming an accurate test run is really important otherwise, discrepancies would occur in the entire testing process.
Integration with Other Tools
Most of the test management tools can be integrated with issue tracking tools and effective project management comes into existence. The project management team can perform multiple tasks with these integrations as they can easily track issues, releases, and development taking place.
Easy and Prompt Test Execution
Teams that use traditional tools usually have to encounter overheads to execute test runs. Unnecessary time is consumed for simple tasks and repeated clicking is what they do most of the time. With the help of Kualitee, test cases can be comfortably passed on and testers can move on with other tasks. There are times when tasks become mundane and repeated, at that time these tools act as a savior.
Customization Facility
As paid tools allow you to customize the tasks as per requirements due to which flexibility is enhanced in an ideal way. You can quickly pass through the test set or dig in through the requirement based on necessity. Even the layout, test description, test results, or steps can also be updated according to a tester’s choice. It allows you to add custom fields so data can be organized as per needs.
Detailed Reports
Reports are always required no matter which area or department you belong too. In the case of testing, it is even more pertinent as the future decision regarding the project is based on these results. As testers do not have a product to show through which their work can be analyzed so these reports also act as a medium to analyze their performance.
Test management tools help to create simple and readable reports through which information can be understood without putting any extra effort.
Search from Repository
Testers who have been creating test cases for years know very well how easily work stacks up and they require a feature through which they can look out for a test case instantly. There are chances that when the code is updated, some test cases update too in that process, and to retest that certain area, testers do not have to go through all test cases again. In such cases, the search feature helps them to skip the hundreds of test cases and stick to the assigned task.
Conclusion
Above mentioned features are must-have for a test management tool as things compile up with time and at that point, testers do not have enough time to go through excel sheets to trace each and every test case. Characteristics and processes need to be updated with time and the above-mentioned features can help you to choose the management tools which suit your project or organizational requirements. Organizations that stick to google sheets for the testing purpose, their testing team is surely going through the hard times and they are struggling on daily basis related to communication, work management, and unstable work ethics. It is time to take the leap of faith and go for the change which is need of the time.
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