QA Documentation: How to Write and Record the Process of Your Test

Great news!

Your new software product has finally been completed and is ready for testing. What now?

As every professional developer knows, the testing cycle can cast up all sorts of surprises. But even though you’re bound to find defects during the process, testing implementation itself should be the very opposite of surprising.

As long as you approach your testing and QA process systematically, you can’t go wrong. And that’s why you need accurate and concise QA documentation.

What is QA documentation?

Whether you’re developing a MLops tool or a complex multi-platform system, testing is crucial to ensure a good quality end product.

That’s where Quality Assurance (QA) comes in. The QA process is a fundamental part of the testing cycle. It aims to identify defects and ensure bug fixes are adequate.

Recording the details of each issue discovered and tracking the progress of fixes is key to effective QA. So it’s impossible to overstate the importance of good QA documentation. It involves collecting information about the process and setting it down in a systematic way. This enables everyone involved in the project to access the details of how it is progressing.

QA documents you’ll need in your cycle

So what documents would you include? Here are the documents no professional QA process can do without.

1) Checklist

The checklist includes descriptions of each aspect of the functionality of the software. In it, test scenarios are grouped according to their modules. This enables you to streamline your testing preparation and makes sure everyone can follow how the project is progressing.

2) Test plan

This is the document that describes the scope of work. It should set down all the expected resources required to complete the testing cycle. The test plan is created at the beginning of the process as you collect all the necessary information about which tasks are required. It outlines the responsibilities of each team member and defines which testing methods are to be used.

Test case - Image created by writer

3) Test case

Each test case covers the detailed steps required to test the implementation of each function. This is reflected in its name, which should be short, snappy, and informative, e.g.:

• Create a new supplier contract.
• Login using failed password.
• Add a new product with form.

Define the steps for testing, one action at a time. The outcome of the final step should be the successful completion of the task. Setting expectations clearly like this for each function test helps with the quality management of the testing process.

4) Use case

Use cases are another way of documenting testing but are less formally structured than test cases. They’re more often used for developing strategies for product testing. Commonly, they’ll take their cue from overall business objectives and critical test path validation.

5) Defect report

When you find a problem, generate a defect report. Also known as a bug report, this should include precise details of the sequence of steps that led to the identified error. Provide information about the defect itself: description of effect, severity, priority for fixing. Also, include a full explanation of how the bug occurred.

How to write QA documentation

Let’s dive into more detail about how you go about creating each document.

1) Prepare your QA checklist

The checklist should consist of the following:

• General information about the project.
• A list of checks to be run.
• The type of verification being used (positive or negative).
• Available test data.
• Brief explanation of how the system is expected to behave.
• Details about the test environment (e.g. which browser version is being used).
• Test result.
• Defect number (if required).

It’s the tester’s responsibility to fill in the status sections of the checklist as they go along. The possible entries are passed/failed (system working/bug found); blocked (impossible to check because of an existing defect); in progress (work currently being carried out); not run (not yet tested) or skipped (not tested for any other reason).

Image created by writer

2) Make a test plan and progress report

These should cover four broad areas.

• Introduction to test object: detailed information about the product to be tested and the business objectives to be met. These objectives would include client-side demands rather than commercial details like the finer points of pricing, for example.
• Approaches used for testing: explanation of the test methods to be used.
• Resources: hardware requirements for the testing process and anything else needed to run the tests.
• Tasks and goals: Outline of responsibilities of key personnel and definition of testing goals.

3) Create your test cases

In a way, you can think about test cases as you would about email templates. Each one is designed to fit a specific structure required by the overall process. But each individual test case will generate an individual outcome. A typical test case comprises these sections:

• Identification number.
• Name of the requirement being tested.
• Testing steps.
• Test data.
• Expected result.
• Status.
• Observed result.
• Comments (if required).

4) Devise test suites

Test suites are simply collections of test cases. You can use these to manage and execute several test cases at once.

5) Create defect reports

Comprehensive defect reporting is crucial for project visibility within the team and the seamless workflow of the project as a whole. The documentation should include:

• Explanation of the nature of the defect.
• Name of project.
• Component of the application where the bug occurred.
• Build version being used.
• Assessment of severity.
• Assessment of fix priority.
• Status.
• Name of tester.
• Name of dev assigned to fix the defect.

Best practices when writing QA documentation

It’s important that the documentation you produce is accessible to anyone who needs to consult it later. With that in mind, here are four tips for QA documentation best practice:

1) Ensure the defect is clearly and thoroughly explained

Make sure there is no ambiguity. The more specific you are in your explanation, the less likely the developer fixing the defect will have to ask follow-up questions for clarification.

Free to use image sourced from Unsplash

2) Always proofread before sending out

Typos can lead to confusion and in some cases cause delays in testing. It’s essential to make sure there are no mistakes in the documentation.

3) Remember to make a copy

This should be second nature but it’s worth mentioning because it’s vital. All documentation should be securely backed up. You may also want to look into the purpose of a data warehouse to store any information or data you collect for future analysis.

You may be able to extract insights through data virtualization, so keeping data handy could pay off when you work on future projects.

4）Include photos of the issue and where it appears

Add anything that will provide useful context, such as screenshots or test files.

Getting it right

Effective QA documentation ensures that the test cycle proceeds exactly as it should. From the first moment you sit down to create your checklist to the final signing off on the project, every step should be adequately recorded and accounted for.

That way, implementing testing will go smoothly – or as smoothly as it ever can, anyway!

Need more help? Check out the Zentao blog. They have more articles on project management, software management, building cross-functional teams, and so much more.

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Author bio :

Pohan Lin - Senior Web Marketing and Localizations Manager

Pohan Lin is the Senior Web Marketing and Localizations Manager at Databricks, a global Data and AI provider connecting the features of data warehouses and data lakes to create lakehouse architecture along with Databricks and Hadoop. With over 18 years of experience in web marketing, online SaaS business, and ecommerce growth. Pohan is passionate about innovation and is dedicated to communicating the significant impact data has in marketing and solutions. Pohan Lin also published articles for domains such as Spiceworks and SME-News.