Software Testing Blog

4 Tips for Optimizing Test Plans and Test Cases

Written by Thijs Kok | April 21, 2021

Although there has been a rise in the use of automated software testing, manual testing can still be invaluable for companies looking to integrate the experience, intuition, and flexibility of subject matter experts that automated intelligence alone cannot deliver.

However, some organizations can be hesitant to pursue or continue manual testing because of concerns about speed or errors. This is why it is important to integrate best practices into your manual testing process and take advantage of leading testing management solutions to ensure every effort is fast and error-free.

From taking advantage of templates and accelerators to enhancing communication and accountability, here are some key secrets that can help bring more efficiency to your manual software testing experience.

Leverage project templates and test cases.

Although every testing effort is unique, there are elements that are required in all tests to reflect industry best practices or the preferences of your organization.

For these situations, a modern test management solution that offers project templates can expedite your testing efforts by providing reusable blueprints that can be deployed, modified, and tweaked to fit your needs, and then kicked off with a test run.

Just choose a template that closely fits your test strategy, objectives, and schedule, and you can be sure that your testing must-haves are in place without reinventing the wheel.

Improve how you track and report test results.

 

When conducting a manual software test, there are already a lot of moving parts to manage, but tracking and reporting testing results should not be harder than it has to be.

Fortunately, a test management solution like TestMonitor streamlines the process of reviewing and reporting test results. The user dashboard utilizes icons, tags, and expandable rows to help you zero in on issues and dive deeper when you need to, without the clutter or endless spreadsheets.

TestMonitor also comes with a range of built-in reports to help you monitor traceability, progress, coverage, and any potential issues. Every report is able to be customized, filtered, and shared with a few simple clicks.

Simplify how users capture test results.

Your testers are already under a lot of pressure to get their jobs done quickly and correctly. Make their lives easier by having a clear and intuitive method for capturing their test results and feedback.

For example, TestMonitor utilizes a simple smiley-based system to capture the user’s satisfaction with the overall testing process without too much effort on their part. Testers also have the ability to include attachments and other key details within our tool, adding more color and detail to their feedback.

Utilize a test management system.

There is nothing more cumbersome than managing and executing your manual software testing using a mechanism not made for testing. In doing so, you are forced to create work-arounds and juggle multiple files. 

A test management solution can speed up every step of the process and add much-needed structure to your testing. For example, you can follow a requirement from the beginning of the test effort to the final acceptance with a simple link. Other tasks, like tracking activity and syncing data, are automatic features, allowing for more structure in a testing effort. With advanced designs that support thousands of cases, test management solutions can be optimized for your specific testing needs. 

Ready for a different testing experience?

If you are looking for a new way to perform manual software testing at your organization, take advantage of the structure, efficiency, and control of a modern test management system. We would love to get you started with your own 14-day free trial.

If you’re ready, click here to get started.