What is a test case repository?
Test repository comprises a comprehensive library of test cases that ensure key variations, such as initial states, possible scenarios, and user-system interactions. The purpose is to minimize the likelihood of defects slipping through.
Test case repository today is available with different capabilities and integrations, hence, there are many tools to manage these features. Test case repository management helps in easily capturing, storing, tracking, and searching information. This helps testers to focus on their core responsibility, i.e., testing, while other aspects of repository management are taken care of.
Importance of test case repository
If every team member maintains their copy of the test cases, there’s a high likelihood that they will lose track of where the project’s progress lies and what needs to be executed next. This leads to patchy test coverage and missed test case executions, leading to poor product delivery. It is best for projects with multiple tiers of deliverables to keep everything organized to avoid misunderstandings down the line. This ensures that everyone stays on top of their tasks as well as those around them, resulting in a much smoother process.
Testing is a repetitive task. Re-using test cases saves time for everyone on the team as there are large pieces that can be repeated for every project. The first thing you should do when starting a new project is to maintain a test case repository, where all previous test cases can be reused if needed and speed things up. If you maintain an organized system of storing your test case repository, maintaining it won’t take much of your time.
How to structure and organize your test case repository
The success of a software testing team is typically facilitated by the volume and nature of test cases that represent the basis for their cycles. A large number and variety of these test cases will probably take a lot of time and attention in getting them into place, there’s no denying that proper management with comprehensive test case repositories will yield the best outcomes. This compilation maintains an extensive set familiar with all key permutations and combinations in workflow execution and transaction interactivity to make sure that all variations within system administration and user interactions are covered.
Test repositories are not strictly limited to the system, software, and configuration variations but also cover things such as different factors, databases, operating systems, hardware platforms, and changes in different versions of the software.
Ways to improve your test case management practices
To start, let’s understand why the test repository is a crucial factor during testing, and what you can do to use it to your advantage.
Waste reduction
The key benefit of incorporating test repositories in software testing is the obvious avoidance of waste. Experts believe that old testing processes cause this waste to a much greater extent as a result of limiting information and feature reuse, thanks to lengthy documentation, isolation test cases, and replicating previous efforts after each release. This approach, unfortunately, doesn’t have a scalable solution as it requires much work, which must be spent on writing and maintaining cases, as well as countless additional costs.
In modern test management tools, one of the most important features is the test repository. This repository simply stores saved test modules that can be accessed at any time for future use; effectively eliminating the need to recreate or rewrite tests from scratch for the next project. It’s an indispensable feature for QA professionals and has been shown to increase the productivity and efficiency of testers by more than 100%.
It is imperative to make sure that system test cases are kept up-to-date with the updates of the business application or software product. If left unused, testers may find themselves testing features or behavior, which is no longer part of the current version, this leads to tests not working properly and ultimately results in future QA cycles degrading.
Boost overall quality
Tests are the glue that binds project components together. The key to having a successful project implementation is to maintain your test repository. Your program’s documentation should include tests that provide details about function or failure conditions, expected results, and how the change addresses issues uncovered during the implementation phase.
When code doesn’t pass a test case, QA teams can review the revision history in the code repository to locate where errors occur and take a more targeted approach to fixing things. Testing efforts are reduced with a single platform containing comprehensive error data for all kinds of testing. A unified platform will cost less and be more accessible than one dedicated to each group or project, helping everyone stay on track and boost overall quality.
Standardize the process
Although teams may practice a variety of procedures when it comes to running a project, this can result in a less efficient workflow. Lean testing practices should be used to standardize the process and storing unnecessary data should be avoided for efficiency. Focus on team effectiveness by creating a repository to not only store desired information but also to refresh existing tests as trends evolve.
Depending on the data sets that your system typically interacts with, you can easily reduce costly storage requirements by automatically removing obsolete records. Additionally, having multiple versions of the repository can facilitate regression testing to determine what changes in data could break logic.
Conclusion
How do you track your development and testing progress without any problems? The best way to avoid such problems is to choose the right tool for the job – one that not only serves as a test case management solution but also as an aggregator for projects. In addition to the right tool, one would need a good test case repository to save time and effort significantly.
Yethi is a niche QA service provider for global banks and financial institutions. With a repository of over half a million-test cases, Yethi can help you save a considerable amount of time, cost, and effort. Its test automation platform, Tenjin, is a 5th generation tool with a robotic UI plug and play design that can automatically learn and relearn offering greater accuracy and consistency.