Test management most commonly refers to the activity of managing a testing process. A test management tool is

software Software is a set of computer programs and associated software documentation, documentation and data (computing), data. This is in contrast to Computer hardware, hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. ...

used to manage tests (automated or manual) that have been previously specified by a test procedure. It is often associated with

automation Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines ...

software. Test management tools often include

requirement In product development and process optimization, a requirement is a singular documented physical or functional need that a particular design, product or process aims to satisfy. It is commonly used in a formal sense in engineering design, includ ...

and/or

specification A specification often refers to a set of documented requirements to be satisfied by a material, design, product, or service. A specification is often a type of technical standard. There are different types of technical or engineering specificati ...

management modules that allow automatic generation of the requirement test matrix (RTM), which is one of the main metrics to indicate functional coverage of a

system under test System under test (SUT) refers to a system that is being tested for correct operation. According to ISTQB it is the test object. From a Unit Testing perspective, the SUT represents all of the classes in a test that are not predefined pieces of co ...

(SUT).

Creating tests definitions in a database

Test definition includes:

test plan A test plan is a document detailing the objectives, resources, and processes for a specific test for a software or hardware product. The plan typically contains a detailed understanding of the eventual workflow. Test plans A test plan documents th ...

, association with product

s and

specifications A specification often refers to a set of documented requirements to be satisfied by a material, design, product, or service. A specification is often a type of technical standard. There are different types of technical or engineering specificati ...

. Eventually, some relationship can be set between tests so that precedences can be established. E.g. if test A is parent of test B and if test A is failing, then it may be useless to perform test B. Tests should also be associated with priorities. Every change on a test must be versioned so that the QA team has a comprehensive view of the history of the test.

Preparing test campaigns

This includes building some bundles of test cases and executing them (or scheduling their execution). Execution can be either manual or automatic. ;Manual execution The user will have to perform all the test steps manually and inform the system of the result. Some test management tools includes a framework to interface the user with the

to facilitate this task. There are several ways to run tests. The simplest way to run a test is to run a test case. The test case can be associated with other test artifacts such as test plans, test scripts, test environments, test case execution records, and test suites. ;Automatic execution There are numerous ways of implementing automated tests. Automatic execution requires the test management tool to be compatible with the tests themselves. To do so, test management tools may propose proprietary automation frameworks or

API An application programming interface (API) is a way for two or more computer programs to communicate with each other. It is a type of software interface, offering a service to other pieces of software. A document or standard that describes how ...

s to interface with third-party or proprietary automated tests.

Generating reports and metrics

The ultimate goal of test management tools is to deliver sensitive metrics that will help the QA manager in evaluating the quality of the system under test before releasing. Metrics are generally presented as graphics and tables indicating success rates, progression/regression and much other sensitive data.

Managing bugs

Eventually, test management tools can integrate

bug tracking A bug tracking system or defect tracking system is a software application that keeps track of reported software bugs in software development projects. It may be regarded as a type of issue tracking system. Many bug tracking systems, such as those ...

features or at least interface with well-known dedicated bug tracking solutions (such as

Bugzilla Bugzilla is a web-based general-purpose bug tracking system and testing tool originally developed and used by the Mozilla project, and licensed under the Mozilla Public License. Released as open-source software by Netscape Communications in 199 ...

Mantis Mantises are an order (Mantodea) of insects that contains over 2,400 species in about 460 genera in 33 families. The largest family is the Mantidae ("mantids"). Mantises are distributed worldwide in temperate and tropical habitats. They ha ...

) efficiently link a test failure with a bug.

Planning test activities

Test management tools may also integrate (or interface with third-party)

project management Project management is the process of leading the work of a team to achieve all project goals within the given constraints. This information is usually described in project documentation, created at the beginning of the development process. T ...

functionalities to help the QA manager planning activities ahead of time.

Test management tools

There are several commercial and open source test management tools available in the market today. Most test management tools are web-served applications that need to be installed in-house, while others can be accessed as

software as a service Software as a service (SaaS ) is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. SaaS is also known as "on-demand software" and Web-based/Web-hosted software. SaaS is con ...

References

External links

Open Source Test Management ToolsThe 7 Complexities of Test Management
*{{dmoz, Computers/Programming/Software_Testing/Test_Management/ Software testing