Whether you develop a software app on your own or collaborate with other developers, there will come a time when software testing is necessary. Writing test cases can help you find bugs more quickly and address them rapidly before launch. Let’s go over how to write test cases and how you can benefit from deploying them during QA.
The Fundamentals of How to Write Test Cases
What is the role of writing test cases during software development? According to published findings, the number of companies with 16 or more QA testers has risen by 10% since 2020 to a total of 34%. Regardless of whether you develop a web-based platform, a SaaS, or a mobile app, testing your code is essential before launch to ensure quality.
Test cases can help in that regard, as they allow project managers and developers to document their QA testing processes. They are different from test scripts, as the former represents a written document. Test scripts on the other hand are small apps in and of themselves meant to test specific software functions.
Test cases aim to address the functionality, security, and usability of a software app to determine its readiness for public distribution. So how do we go about writing test cases so that we can practically apply them to our software development project?
Steps to Write Test Cases the Right Way
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Write a Detailed Test Description
The best way to start writing your test case is to describe its purpose. What is the test about and how will it contribute to the project as a whole? You can go a step further and flag each test case with a priority level or color. This will give testers a good idea of how important that particular test is to the software app. The test description should be short, simple, and to the point without wasting the readers’ time so they can get into the testing itself more quickly.
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Describe your Test Pre-Conditions
Test pre-conditions are meant to explain the test’s starting point to testers. This is useful when you’re looking to recreate particular bugs or errors in your code. Outlining the exact starting point of the test, the OS, and the hardware requirements for the test is important. This goes double if you’re developing apps for closed systems like iOS devices or gaming consoles with a constant set of hardware components.
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Outline the Necessary Test Case Steps
Once you’ve written down your test pre-conditions, you should proceed to outline which steps are necessary to perform the test. These steps usually take the form of certain functions and actions within the software app.
You must write them conversationally so that anyone can perform the test case afterward. Using TrustMyPaper writing service to have a professional writer or editor help you with the test case steps outlined is a good idea. Ask a colleague or a QA tester for a second opinion if you’re unsure of how understandable your writing is in practice.
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Describe Expected and Achieved Test Result Separately
After you’ve explained how a tester can recreate the error or bug you’re looking for, you should write about what the expected results are. What is it that’s supposed to happen when that particular chain of test case steps is complete? After that, you should write down what happened during testing to give developers a good indication of how they can fix their code. Writing down both expected and achieved test results is very useful for determining what exactly happened and how to proceed.
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Wrap Up the Test Cases with a Pass/Fail Status
Each test case you write should feature a short conclusion or be color-coded for “pass” or “fail” based on the steps you’ve recreated. If the test has already been performed and the “expected” and “achieved” results are identical, mark it as “passed”. Otherwise, you need to mark it as “failed” and shortly explain why you did so.
In Conclusion
Writing test cases is useful for both junior developers and senior project managers regardless of the project’s scale. Documenting QA is much simpler with test cases in hand, and you can easily flag bugs and inconsistencies for future updates without overlooking anything. Start writing and organizing test cases into tables or spreadsheets and refer to them on a daily basis once software testing rolls around. The quality of your final product will reflect your QA efforts.
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