TestLodge Tutorial – How to Organize Your Software Testing Projects Using TestLodge Test Management Tool

Organizing, storing and updating testing documents takes time. A good test management tool can make this easier.

A few years ago, we wrote this review on the TestLodge Test Case Management tool. Since then, TestLodge has gotten a lot of feedback from users and they’ve made several changes and improvements to the tool.

In this article, we’re going to show you how you can use the latest version of TestLodge to organize your software testing projects. 

TestLodge is a simple to use test case management tool that allows testing teams to manage documents, collaborate on testing projects, report on the results of tests, and automatically log bug reports from failed tests.

TestLodge Features:

At a high level, here’s what TestLodge brings to the table:

#1. Easy To Use:

The TestLodge user interface is very simple and easy to understand. Unlike many other test management tools, the learning curve with TestLodge is minimal.

On logging in for the first time, it’s very clear to see where to start. Within minutes, you can have test runs ready to execute and reports to show results. Rather than learning a new tool, stay focused on your work.

#2. Flexible:

There’s no “one size fits all” approach to using TestLodge. Every team works differently and TestLodge understands that.

The tool allows you to enhance your existing workflows and processes by putting a little more structure and organization around them. You can easily move/copy content as necessary and create custom user roles to fit your team. Custom fields allow you to adapt the tool to track additional data.

#3. Cloud Based:

TestLodge hosts your content so you don’t have to. There’s no need to install code on your own servers or worry about updates and new versions. TestLodge takes care of all that so you can focus on getting work done.

#4. Productive:

Unlike other feature-bloated test manage tools out there, TestLodge gives you just the tools you need to be productive. Reports provide an instant feedback loop on how your testing projects are coming along, so you can always ensure things are moving forward.

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How to use TestLodge for Test Management

Let’s take for example a simple contact form.

Your team needs to test the form and make sure it meets all of the requirements.

Here’s how TestLodge can help:

#1. Test Plans:

A test plan, as the name suggest, helps you plan your testing project. Here, you’ll document which features need to be tested when testing needs to be completed, pass/fail criteria, and more.

#2. Requirements:

Once you have the requirements, you can bring them into TestLodge so you can test directly against them. TestLodge also lets you associate individual test cases with requirements so you can tie each case back to the original requirement document. The requirements traceability matrix also allows you to see all test cases associated with each requirement.

Bringing your requirements into TestLodge is optional but it certainly helps improve your test coverage.

#3. Test Suites & Test Cases:

Now it’s time to write your test cases. Test cases are the individual tests your testing team will execute. You can think of test suites as the buckets your test cases will go in.

Your test cases can be organized into one or many test suites.

You can include images in test cases for visual references. You can also add custom fields to track any additional data your team needs.

For example, if you need to add a “priority” field to test cases,  you can do that by creating a custom field.

If you already have your test cases written in a spreadsheet, TestLodge allows you to import them easily.

Also read => What is Difference Between Test Plan, Test Strategy, Test Case, Test Script, Test Scenario and Test Condition?

#4. Test Runs:

Once you’ve created a test suite with your test cases, it’s time to create a test run to execute your tests. Test runs let you execute each test cases and mark them as passed, failed, or skipped. You can also record the actual test result so when you review the results after, you can compare the differences.

If you’re testing multiple configurations or environments, you can set up different “test configurations” so that each suite can be tested in the appropriate environment.

For example, since the contact form needs to work on all modern browsers and iOS, we’ll need to run the same tests on multiple browsers and devices.

#5. Issue Tracking Integrations:

TestLodge saves you time by automating the bug reporting process.

The way this works is simple. You give TestLodge permission to connect with your bug tracking tool and when a test case fails, it automatically generates a bug/issue in your issue tracking tool. The created issue links to the failed test case in TestLodge, closing the loop between the testing team and the development team. Integrations are very quick to setup and the wide selection available includes Jira, Github, Trello, Fogbugz and Basecamp along with many more.

Conclusion

TestLodge provides a simple but flexible interface that gets you up and running in no time.

The broad feature set and flexibility allow you to adapt the tool in a way that improves your existing process. Using TestLodge, your testing documents have a home where your entire team can collaborate on testing projects.

You can try TestLodge for free – Sign up for a free trial here

Feel free to post your queries/suggestions in comments below.