As applications and software evolve faster and faster, it is crucial to ensure test case maintenance. Whether it's at the request of stakeholders who want to adapt to changes in the market such as greater competition, new customer needs, or new legislation or regulations, there are many reasons why companies seek to upgrade their software products quickly. Ensuring proper test case maintenance is key to their ability to guarantee the quality of updated software and offer a great user experience.
What is maintainability?
Maintainability is the ability of an application or software to be maintained in working order or to be restored after an incident. It also includes its ability to adapt when a change is decided within the company. The expected intervention, whether it is a repair or an evolution, must be simple, fast and inexpensive for the technical teams. It must also be delivered within a reasonable timeframe.
Why is test case maintenance essential?
Test case maintenance is essential for several reasons. First, it ensures that existing test cases continue to cover the application's functionality correctly and identifies and detects any changes that may affect their reliability at the time or later. Secondly, it allows new test cases to be added to cover new features and changes to the application or software. It is essential that it can evolve at the same pace as the product. Finally, test case maintenance can also help identify and fix bugs already present in the application.
In summary, test case maintenance is crucial to ensure that the application works properly and continues to meet the needs of the end users.
4 ways to Improve the test case maintenance
Establish your priorities. What do you really need?
The first step in towards better test case maintenance is to ask yourself whether it is necessary to document your test case. Indeed, taking the time to ask yourself what you really need and prioritize accordingly is never a waste of time, even if it can often seem frustrating. To do this, it may be wise to consider 4 characteristics: its size, its purpose, its lifespan and its representation. Taking this matrix and these 4 aspects into account allows testers to determine right away if it is necessary to rigorously document a test or if scribbling the idea on a post-it note is enough.
Divide your steps to ensure successful testing
An ideal test procedure is made up of small steps and an expected outcome is specified for each step. Remember: 1 test, 1 goal. The idea is to avoid at all costs grouping each of them into a single test case containing hundreds of steps. The order of execution is in the execution schedule, not in the test case. Divide your cases into small units that are easy to handle in case of failures. To achieve this, here are 3 tips to follow:
- Split a test as soon as a new screen is loaded, so that it is the starting point of the test;
- Do not give a complete navigation script to explain how to reach this screen, instead define preconditions ("the user must be logged in", "the card must be inserted in the reader"...)
- Place preconditions at the beginning of the test case so that they are visible.
Instead of a single long-winded "ideal case" describing each step, you will get a simple, concise content, easy to implement and maintain. In the case of ATM operation):
- After entering a correct PIN code, on the menu screen, select the "withdrawal" option.
- Expected result: The ATM displays the '#98F44' screen with default amounts for withdrawal and the option to enter any amount.
Use clear language for everyone
An important point is to never assume the knowledge or mindset of a tester. Thus, it is essential to use clear language. For this, using a common glossary is essential. Are you going to click, push or press the button? Documenting and standardizing the actions that are frequently performed is a valuable time saver and is better way to ensure proper test case maintenance.
Find the right balance...with each new request!
Whatever happens, it is obviously essential to communicate with the teams and to take the time to determine the right level of documentation for each test case. Indeed, there is no point in being dogmatic, take the context into account and adapt because what works for one project can be a real disaster for the next project. The most important thing is to find an agreement and the right balance between all the people involved in the project.
Whether it's test case maintenance, the implementation of a test automation strategy, or monitoring the performance of an app or website, QA testing plays a vital role in any team’s ability to offer high-quality digital products. For more best practices or testing advice, check out our white papers including our newest publication, Quality Assurance: What are the latest software testing trends?
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