SpiraTest by Inflectra is a great testing and requirements management tool. It can really help set your methodology apart from the others when implemented and used properly. It is a highly configurable, web-based tool that can be used for requirements management, test planning & execution as well as defect tracking and management. This post will give a review of the tool in each of these areas.
Requirements Management
SpiraTest allows for the management of business requirements. Normally when customers go to RFP they will already have a list of business requirements published. The normal process is for a vendor to respond to the ability to meet the requirements and by the time contracting is done, there should be a concrete list of business requirements that the solution will meet as part of the project deliverables. In order to get away from having a myriad of spreadsheets with a yes or no checkbox, SpiraTest allows for either uploads of requirements or direct entry with also the ability to mark the importance, priority as well as custom attributes to the requirements as well. This allows for one centralized repository of requirements that the entire project team can work towards meeting.
Test Case Management
SpiraTest has a very powerful testing management engine. By either direct entry or spreadsheet upload, a catalog of test cases can be developed for your project and test cases assigned to specific testers on your project team (or customer team). As testers execute their assigned test cases, they will see the expected behaviour of each step and be allowed to document any deviations from the expected behavior with also the ability to mark steps in each test case with pass/fail/caution. By being able to map test cases back to requirements, SpiraTest provides the data structures to do comprehensive reporting to ensure both requirements coverage of test cases as well as the success (or failure) of test cases as well (remember – it’s one thing to have test coverage but those tests need to be successful too!).
Defect Management
Defects, known to SpiraTest as incidents is the third foundation to the tool. As testers execute assigned test cases, when defects are noted, they can create an incident and link to a specific test case (and requirement by indirect relation) as well as mark the priority & severity of the incident. The tool also allows for direct collaboration between project team members by way of adding comments to incidents to help memorialize conversations relevant to the issue.
SpiraTest is a foundationally great tool for testing management. It allows the project team to not get buried in spreadsheets and provides the basis for real time updates on testing progress which enables project teams to hone in on problem areas immediately to help keep your project on track and successful.