Looking for an excellent example of using a spreadsheet for test case management

Question

It is an unfortunate reality of our industry that many testers are stuck using a spreadsheet to manage their test cases.

I wanted to ask (in a community wiki), what are some good techniques and examples that people can share on how someone can manage test case planning and execution in excel.

(I know that this does not exactly fit the Q&A style, but I think that the question and answers will be valuable to testers who use spreadsheets as a test case management tool.

Answer 1

I do not have any examples but I can describe an experience, albeit more about written test cases than about using Excel.

When I started my previous job, test cases were not written down. Moreover, the IT department was openly hostile to the QA team; asking for a server as a test case repository was a non-starter. As an intermediate step, I picked an subset of the product and put test cases in a shared Excel spreadsheet. I think there were four columns: a description of the test case, the tester assigned to it, the pass/fail status, and free-form comments (e.g. for bug IDs).

The test cases were simple, declarative statements rather than step-by-step instructions, e.g. "Every field honors its minimum and maximum field lengths" or "Field X is mandatory."

Each release, as the product changed, some of the test cases would need revising, too. I wanted to keep the old test results for historical purposes, so we made a new copy of the spreadsheet for each release.

I think we followed that practice for a few releases. We had limited success. On one hand, the testers liked having something written down, and they liked being explicit about who was testing what. On the other hand, many on the team were not accustomed to writing test cases -- although they overlap, writing is a different skill from actual testing.

After a few releases, we managed to get the IT department to install Mediawiki on a server, so we switched to documenting our test cases there. We went back to personal communications or email for assigning testers to test cases and for reporting status. (We used Bugzilla for bug tracking, but we didn't have a formal way to declare which test cases were tested and which were still left to do). I left that job a few years ago. As I understand it, they still use my test automation framework, but they stopped using the written test cases altogether. I think the test cases grew obsolete and there was no one left on the team who was interested in writing.

Answer 2

As a consultant, I am often sent to a client who does not have a test case management tool. It can be a short contract which would not last as long as the time it would take to introduce a test case management tool and teach the users how to use the software.

With Excel, I can format a basic test case template for use by myself or the client within minutes. This is then used to track what has been tested on a feature (test steps or scenarios), and monitor whether the testing passed or failed. In the case of a failed test, the bug is outlined in a "Notes" column. After a bug fix, the results of the re-run are recorded on a second sheet within the Excel workbook.

Finally, the spreadsheet can be placed on the network for reference, attached to an email, or printed.

From my experience this approach helps a client gain confidence in the value of testing, and gives them space to consider which tool they want to use.

On a final note, I take comfort from the knowledge that the team is now recording their tests, their results, and any bugs somewhere more formal than in an email (as is often the case). This makes testing a process which is repeatable, traceable, and adjustable, whilst also introducing a common point of reference.

Answer 3

At my first job, we used Excel extensively (and I have used it at a few places). I don't think it is a horrible tool as I have seen people use it amazingly well and efficiently, it just depends on what's the main purpose. There are way too many non-engineering firms where a tons of people work as non-programming QA for whom integrating the test cases with scripts, etc. may not be the most important feature.

(Just what I have used as, not recommending to use excel over other tools)
Test Plan and Cases

1. Sheet 1 - Included a basic test plan, revision history, comments, etc.
2. Sheet 2 - Test cases: First column had a TC title in bold followed by Steps. Second column had expected results, third - actual results, fourth - Priority, fifth - Pass/Fail, sixth - Comments.

I worked with a guy who used excel macros and formulas really well to formulate the expected results from the input data. While he was manual testing, he would just enter the input values and the actual values in respective columns. The final sheet in his spreadsheet had Test cases which would be set to pass if the expected value matched actual.

Answer 4

At my current company, we are using excel to keep track of our testing. We have a QA Checklist Tempate spreadsheet that consists of:

1. Functional Checklist - list of requirements. Mainly focusing on whether the application works as intended and is fit for purpose and usage (Positive testing)
2. Test Scenario Checklist - list of test scenarios that the testers document while they testing the application. These test scenarios can be detailed or high-level, it all depends on the tester and the type of tests can vary from negative to exploratory to performance testing.

We are busy investigating different test management tools to replace the excel spreadsheet but they have been working with relatively good success for the past few years at our company.

Answer 5

In my project we use excel spreadsheets for test case execution and management. Once testing finishes we import the same on Quality Center using excel add-on (I understand that is a waste of effort).

The excel sheet has got a specific format i.e. Sheet1- Version Control, Sheet2- Test Scenario with steps, Sheet3- References etc. Let me know if you are looking for a sample template.

Answer 6

As I am a developer, my answer will be sarcastic. Please do not take it personally :)

It is maybe the right time to update your QA tools if you are still using Excel?

If you have heard about the Agile manifesto and agile software development, you probably would know that thanks to these approach, quality insurance becomes a part of the development and it is not a different function. When you apply TDD, BDD, or whatever test-first approach, you start with the test before the coding, so clearly an Excel Spreadsheet is not the right tool. You typically need a tool for Agile Development

If you didn't realize it, Excel is a old tool from the nineties and it is a spreadsheet, not a management tool. If you want a management tool, I suggest you to look for a management tool. If project management / but reporting tools like JIRA are not enough for your QA needs, I warmly suggest you to have a look to some providers of test management solutions.

• http://www.qasymphony.com/qtest.html
• http://www.practitest.com/
• http://www.testuff.com/
• http://www.qmetry.com/

Testuff for example cost 27$ per month if you get the monthly subscription, having an unmanageable Excel spreadsheet to handle your QA will cost you much more :)