[Tool] talking about the function test case template

【Abstract】 this article introduces the general elements of a test case and how to design a test case template based on the characteristics of the project to improve the design efficiency of the test case and automate the calculation of the test case execution result report, analyze the test case coverage rate.

The design and execution of test cases are the core of the test work and one of the tasks with the largest workload. A well-designed test case template can improve the design quality of test cases and track the execution results of test cases, automatically generate test case coverage report. Over the past few years, the testing technology and theory have developed considerably. The design elements of functional test cases are similar in terms of style, generally including themes, preconditions, execution steps, and expected results.
Test cases can be managed in the format of database, Word, Excel, XML, and other mature commercial software tools and open-source tools. for medium and small software enterprises, it is convenient and economical to use documents to manage test cases. Documents in Word format can meet the design requirements, but it is not conducive to tracking and automatic statistics of execution results reports. Next I will introduce my Excel template designed and improved in multiple projects. It can easily design test cases, record execution results, and automatically calculate test case coverage.

Figure-1 is an Excel template.

The details are as follows:

Test Case ID-- It is used to uniquely identify the test case number. You can define rules as needed, so it is best to easily track and maintain them;
Test prerequisites-- If yes, it is described;
Test Case level(The level of the test case is defined as this, and it has always been understood as the Severity Level of the bug.)-differentiate the test case level based on the importance of requirements, in the test execution phase, test tasks can be arranged according to the test case level and divided into four levels:
• Smoke test, that is, version validation test. Each test version must pass all tests of this level. Otherwise, the test is rejected;
• Key Path test. Each test version must execute this test case. If this test case passes, the software functions tend to be stable;
• An acceptable level test. If a test case passes the test once, the test case passes and the test case is ready for release;
• Recommended use cases. If there is time, it is best to execute this test case, but it is not necessary for release.
Test Case execution steps and expected results;
Test Case execution result-- Entered during execution, including pass, failure, warning, blocking, and ignore.
By developing a VBA script, you can automatically count the execution results of each test case, as shown in-2. The test case coverage result report is obtained for analysis of the test results.

Figure-2 test case coverage Analysis Report
Test Case Status Transition Analysis
Figure-3 shows the lifecycle of a typical test case, which can be customized based on projects of different types and sizes.

Figure-3Test Case Lifecycle
In queue-the test case is waiting in the queue;
In progress -- indicates that the test is in progress and may last for a period of time. If a test takes less than one or two days, you only need to display it in queue;
Blocking-some external conditions-if some functions are missing-the test cannot be executed;
Ignore (skip)-This test case has been decided (or notified) to be skipped;
Pass-end status, no problem;
Failed (fail) -- An error occurred while executing the test case;
Warning (warn) -- The result is between pass and fail. The error severity level is mild and does not affect the function and performance;
Close-all previously identified errors have been corrected.

(When all the use cases are passed or closed, it proves that the software has passed the function test of the prepared use case. The entity named "full function test" and "regression test" is the lifecycle of these cases. The test time in our test plan is evaluated through the lifecycle of these cases. How can the time gap between testing and development be reflected in the project cycle? How does the project manager know where the project cycle is, And where has it been ?)
In a project, a test case has multiple execution steps, and each step may have different results. For example, if Step 1 passes, step 2 fails, and step 3 is blocked by the failure in step 2, what is the test status? Simply pointing out that blocking or failure of this test case will omit important information. Therefore, you must specify the double status, such as block/fail, block/warn, skip/pass, and skip/closed. However, if more than a dozen states are displayed, the test results may be harder to explain. Make the results clear and accurately reflect the actual results.
Advantages of this template: easy to use and maintain, easy to allocate test tasks, easy to communicate with other roles in the project team, and automatic generation of results reports.
Disadvantages: it is inconvenient to track test changes, and the scale of each test case varies. Therefore, the test coverage rate result is only used as a reference. The percentage of results does not accurately reflect the workload. You need to analyze the project details. This template does not track statistics of defects, and determines whether to use weighted evaluation of defect severity. A test case usually corresponds to statistical analysis of several defects.

Conclusion: In actual projects, test case items should be defined according to the project characteristics and development process. When the two features are accurate and simple, you need to weigh them well. If you have a good solution, I will be happy to know.

[Tool] talking about the function test case template