Software Testing Tutorial #30 - What is a Test Case

Summary

This software testing tutorial focuses on defining a test case, explaining its importance, and who is responsible for writing it. A test case is a set of steps to verify an application's functionality against requirements, including input actions and expected responses. Key sections include title, description, prerequisites, test data, steps, and expected results. Test cases ensure traceability, coverage, and reusability in testing, typically authored by test engineers for structured and organized quality assurance.

Takeaways

• 😀 A test case is a set of steps designed to verify the functionality of an application against customer requirements.
• 📝 Test cases contain input actions and expected responses to ensure the application behaves as intended.
• 🔑 Key sections of a test case include the title, description, prerequisites, test data, test steps, and expected results.
• 🛠️ Test cases are written by test engineers, including QA test engineers and test leads, as part of the testing team's responsibilities.
• 🔗 Test cases provide traceability, ensuring that all key functionalities of a requirement are covered through testing.
• 🔄 Reusability of test cases allows other team members to execute them in future iterations or releases, streamlining the testing process.
• 📈 Test case documentation helps in achieving comprehensive requirement coverage, identifying areas that may need additional testing.
• 📚 The importance of test cases lies in their structured approach to testing, preventing the omission of critical functionalities.
• 📋 Writing test cases is crucial for practical software testing, as it guides the tester through a systematic process of verification.
• 📈 The tutorial will progress to practical aspects, including writing test cases in Excel, importing them into test management tools, and executing them.
• 🔍 Further details on writing test cases, including additional information and sections, will be covered in upcoming tutorials.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of a test case in software testing?

A test case serves as a set of steps to verify the functionality of an application, ensuring it meets the requirements specified by the customer.

Why is it important to understand what a test case is before writing and executing it?

Understanding what a test case is ensures that the testing process is structured and organized, preventing the omission of any critical functionalities that need to be tested.

What are the key sections that a test case typically contains?

A test case typically contains a title, description, prerequisites, test data, test steps, and expected results.

Can you provide an example of what a test case title might be for an e-commerce website's login functionality?

An example of a test case title for an e-commerce website's login functionality could be 'Verify Successful Login with Valid Email and Password'.

What is the importance of the description section in a test case?

The description section provides a detailed account of what the test case is intended to test within the application, offering clarity on the scope and purpose of the test.

Why is it necessary to define prerequisites in a test case?

Defining prerequisites ensures that all necessary conditions are met before executing the test case, such as ensuring that a user is already registered for a login test case.

What is meant by test data in the context of a test case?

Test data refers to the specific inputs required to execute a test case, such as a valid username and password for a login test case.

Who is typically responsible for writing test cases in a software testing project?

Test cases are usually written by test engineers, which may include QA test engineers, test leads, and other members of the testing team.

What are the three main reasons why writing test cases is considered important in software testing?

Writing test cases is important for achieving traceability, ensuring requirement coverage, and enabling reusability of test cases by other team members.

How does documenting test cases contribute to the traceability of requirements?

Documenting test cases and mapping them to specific requirements allows for verification that all key functionalities of a requirement have been covered, thus achieving traceability.

What is the role of test cases in ensuring the quality of software?

Test cases help ensure software quality by providing a structured approach to testing that covers all defined requirements, allowing for the identification and resolution of defects.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Understanding Test Cases in Software Testing

This paragraph introduces the concept of a test case in the context of software testing. It emphasizes the importance of comprehending what a test case is before proceeding with the practical aspects of writing and executing them. The paragraph outlines the practical approach that will be taken in future tutorials, which includes writing test cases in Excel, importing them into test management tools, and executing them to identify defects. It also provides a simple definition of a test case as a set of steps to verify an application's functionality against customer requirements. Key sections of a test case are briefly mentioned, including title, description, prerequisites, test data, and test steps with expected outcomes.

05:02

🔍 Key Components of a Test Case

The second paragraph delves deeper into the key components that make up a test case. It explains that a test case includes a title, description, prerequisites, test data, and detailed test steps along with expected results. The paragraph uses the example of testing a login feature on an e-commerce website to illustrate how these components work together. It also discusses the importance of documenting test cases for traceability, ensuring all functionalities of a requirement are covered, and for reusability, allowing other team members to execute the same test cases in the future.

10:03

🛠 The Significance of Writing Test Cases

The final paragraph of the script underscores the significance of writing test cases in a software testing project. It discusses the role of test engineers in creating test cases and the benefits of doing so, such as ensuring requirement coverage, facilitating traceability, and enabling reusability of test cases by other team members. The paragraph also touches on the importance of test cases in maintaining the quality of software by providing a structured approach to testing and ensuring that all aspects of a requirement are thoroughly tested.

Keywords

💡Test Case

A test case is a defined set of steps designed to verify whether a particular functionality of an application meets the requirements specified by the customer. In the script, the test case is the central concept, with the speaker explaining its importance in software testing. The test case is used to ensure that every aspect of the application's functionality is tested systematically, as illustrated by the example of verifying a successful login on an e-commerce website.

💡Software Testing

Software testing is the process of verifying and validating that a piece of software functions as intended. The script focuses on the practical aspects of software testing, including writing and executing test cases. It is a crucial part of the software development life cycle to ensure quality and identify defects.

💡Test Management Tool

A test management tool is a software application that supports the planning, control, and execution of test cases, as well as the management of test-related data. In the script, the speaker mentions importing test cases into a test management tool, which facilitates the organization and tracking of testing activities.

💡Traceability

Traceability in the context of software testing refers to the ability to link test cases to specific requirements, ensuring that all requirements are adequately tested. The script emphasizes the importance of traceability for verifying that the test cases cover all key functionalities defined within a requirement.

💡Requirement

A requirement in software development is a condition or capability that a system or system component must meet or possess. The script discusses how test cases should be written to cover the functionalities as per the given requirements, highlighting the importance of aligning testing with the specified needs of the customer.

💡Test Data

Test data refers to the input values and conditions that are used when executing test cases to verify the application's behavior. In the script, the speaker provides an example of test data, such as a valid email and password, which are essential for testing the login functionality on an e-commerce website.

💡Test Steps

Test steps outline the specific actions to be taken when executing a test case. The script provides an example of test steps for verifying a successful login, including launching the website, entering credentials, and verifying the outcome, which is crucial for the systematic testing of software functionalities.

💡Expected Result

The expected result is the outcome anticipated when a test step is executed, which is used to determine if the application is functioning correctly. The script mentions that along with test steps, the expected result should be documented in a test case to provide a clear benchmark for evaluating the application's behavior.

💡Prerequisites

Prerequisites are conditions that must be met before a test case can be executed. In the script, the speaker gives an example of a prerequisite for testing a login function, which is that the user must be registered, ensuring that valid credentials are available for the test.

💡QA Test Engineer

A QA (Quality Assurance) test engineer is a professional responsible for creating and executing test cases to ensure software quality. The script identifies the test engineers as the individuals who write the test cases in a software testing project, emphasizing their role in maintaining the quality of the software.

💡Reusability

Reusability in the context of test cases means that once written, test cases can be used by other team members or in future testing cycles, promoting efficiency and consistency in testing. The script highlights reusability as one of the key benefits of well-documented test cases, allowing others to execute the same tests as needed.

Highlights

Introduction to the concept of a test case in software testing.

Importance of understanding test cases before writing and executing them.

The practical approach of writing test cases in Excel and using test management tools.

Test cases as a set of steps to verify application functionality against requirements.

Key components of a test case: input, action, and expected response.

Explanation of the key sections within a test case: title, description, prerequisites, test data, test steps, and expected results.

The role of the test case title in defining the functionality being tested.

Description section's purpose in detailing what the test case will verify in the application.

Prerequisites section's importance for outlining conditions needed before test execution.

Test data section's necessity for specifying required user information for testing.

Test steps section's role in guiding the tester through the process of verifying functionality.

Expected results section's importance for defining the anticipated outcomes of test steps.

Additional information that may be included in a test case beyond the key sections.

The responsibility of test engineers in writing test cases for software testing projects.

The significance of test cases in ensuring traceability, coverage, and reusability in testing.

How documented test cases help avoid missing functionalities during testing.

The use of test cases by other team members for structured and consistent testing in future iterations.

Upcoming tutorial on detailed aspects of writing a test case with examples.

Transcripts

hello everyone welcome again in the

software testing tutorial

we are going to learn what is a test

case

so before we get into writing the test

case

and then executing the test case it is

very important to understand what

exactly a test case is

when we say write a test case and then

execute a test case right so that is why

i'm trying to explain here what exactly

is a test case

so till now we have seen all the

software testing related concepts in the

previous tutorial so if you haven't

watched those tutorial

please go back to the playlist and watch

all those concepts of software testing

for because from here on i'll be doing

more of a practical software testing

will be writing the test case for that

for the application or the functionality

then we'll be writing those test cases

in excel then importing those into

other test management tool and then

executing those

raising defects so it will be more of a

practical approach from here on

now but before we get into the practical

approach or actually doing the software

testing hands-on

we need to understand what exactly a

test case is and how you can write the

test case so let's first understand

what exactly is a test case now in very

simple terms

test case is nothing but a set of steps

that you write

to verify the functionality of the

application

whether the functionality is as per the

requirement that has been given by the

customer right

so it's nothing but a set of steps or

the procedure that you follow to verify

a particular functionality in the

application

now do not worry about much details of

you know

what exactly goes within the test case

i'll cover a brief of it

but in the next tutorial when we cover

how to write the test case

we will cover all those details in

detail so don't worry about

those details in this particular

tutorial focus more on

answering the question what exactly is a

test case so in simple term

it is the set of steps that you follow

to verify the functionality of the

application

meet the requirement right so that's

sort of definition

then the next thing you need to remember

about the test case is basically that it

contains the input action and expected

uh response so key information that is

there within the test case is that

you have you define the input or you

define the steps that need to be

followed

and the expected outcome so basically if

you if i do

this particular action on the

application this should be the response

so this sort of information goes within

the test case

all right now i'll also explain what all

key sections

are there within the test case so if you

talk about the key sections or

what exactly the test case contains the

first important thing the test case

contains

is title right so you write the

title of the test case what exactly

you're trying to test

second important thing is the

description description of the test case

so once you have the title then you

write

the description what exactly or in

detail you describe what exactly that

particular test case is going to

test in the application right so say for

example if i take an example of

e-commerce website so

um in the e-commerce website we take a

functionality of the login

right so in the title i can say um

you know title of the test case could be

verify

login

or verify successful login sorry so

we want to verify the successful login

so success

full login with

email account right so with valid email

i'll say valid email and password

okay so if there is already a registered

user and i want to verify that

the user will be able to successfully

log in with valid email and password if

provided

then that is one of the test case title

that could be one of the test case title

in the description i'll describe

this whole thing in more detail right so

all

uh whatever the title is i'll describe

that more in

the description uh the third important

thing is basically to describe or to

provide the prerequisites right so if

there are any prereqs

before you can execute this particular

test case the prerequisite could be

the user should be registered right so

prereq is

user should be

registered already okay because if you

user is not

registered how will you have that valid

email and password so user should be

registered

that's one of the prerequisites so if

there is any sort of prerequisites

let me write it full here so

requisites okay so any so any

prerequisites need to go into the

prerequisites section of the test case

then fourth important thing is about um

you know the test data so is is there

any

data requirement test data right so

usually

test data in this particular case will

be the username and password right so

any test data so valid

email so user username

and password right so usually what you

do is

which username and password needs to be

used when

a person is going to execute this

particular test case so the valid

username

a valid email and password needs to pro

needs to be provided in this particular

test case

as test data okay so this is

fourth piece of information that needs

to go there within the test case

the fifth very important information is

about the test steps

what steps a person needs to follow

right so step number one

you launch the website or you launch the

e-commerce portal

step number two you click on login link

on the ecommerce portal right step

number three

enter the username and password that is

present in the test data field

and press login button right

step number four verify you know step

number four you

verify that whether it's you know

redirected to the

um home page or you you perform the step

on the home page so

these are some of the steps that can be

uh that need to be there

in the particular test case and along

with the test steps you also

write the expected you know outcome or

expected result right so that's

another important expected result

so when somebody um performs a

particular step

what should be the expected result in

that particular case right

so that is another important information

that needs to go there

in the test case okay so these are

very important key information that

needs to go in the test case right so we

have understood what exactly is a test

case

and what all key information needs to be

there in the test case now

besides this information there is a lot

more information that

needs to be there in the test case right

so these this is the key information

that i am going to cover

in this particular tutorial but all

other information that needs to go into

the test case i'll cover

in the excel sheet in the next tutorial

when we understand

how to write the test case right so i'll

cover all the information that is

required

and um for writing the particular test

case

now this information is mostly mandatory

in all of the all the test cases that is

why i have covered

all this particular information but

other information

uh could be mandatory could be you know

optional depending on

the type of the particular test case and

the functionality that you are going to

test right so we'll understand all those

details in further tutorial

so this is the key information you need

to understand and remember from

interview point of view okay so

this uh after this who writes the test

case that's another

you know important thing you need to

remember so test case in software

testing will be written by

the test engineers okay so anybody

working within the test team

qa test engineer test lead all

the person or the people write the test

case so it's the responsibility of the

testing team members

to write the test cases for the

functionality that you are going to

test all right then we'll understand the

importance of the test cases okay so why

the test cases are

important so importance of

test cases so this is another

very important thing to remember about

the test cases so

we have understood what is test case now

why it is important

because say for example you have

functionality or you have requirement

one okay now this requirement has been

developed by

the developers it's available in the

build it's deployed

and it it came into the test environment

okay so it's available for you to

test in the test environment now you

launch the

particular application you directly

started testing all the scenarios that

are mentioned in this particular

requirement

based on the uh requirement document so

what happens is you

go ahead and start testing which is very

unorganized and not the structured

testing approach so in that particular

case if you are not

writing any of the test cases and

scenarios

to cover the requirement you might miss

one or two test cases or you might miss

one of the two

one or two you know couple of

functionalities that need to be covered

for that particular requirement but when

you have the test cases documented

and mapped to this particular

requirement you know that the test case

that you have written cover all the key

functionalities that is defined within

this particular requirement

so traceability right so traceability

is achieved so traceability i'll cover

requirement traceability matrix

in detail in another tutorial but

briefly

traceability what it does is you

verify whether the particular

requirement has been covered

by the test cases so say for example

this requirement could have you know

test case one two

three four depending on how complex the

requirement is there could be you know

like n number of test cases

and when you have written these test

cases these test cases will

in turn ensure that the requirement

overall has been covered with these

particular test case

so traceability is you know achieved

when you write the test case so that's

the first

important thing to understand why the

test cases are important

then um once you write the test case the

other very important thing to

note is you write the test case and

those test cases are available to other

team members right so for example

i have written i am the team member i'm

testing one of the functionality

and in the next

iteration next print or next release

somebody else is going to test that

functionality so what

they can do is they can directly go to

the test management tool

they can search for that functionality

and

for that functionality they can find

these are the linked test cases right so

one

two three four whatever number of test

cases have been linked to that

particular functionality they can pick

those up

and they can go through those test cases

because steps test data everything is

mentioned in the test case they can

directly pick those test cases

and start executing those test cases

because steps are mentioned

the screen names and all the steps are

mentioned how to navigate

with the application so all that detail

is mentioned in the test case

they can directly pick the test case and

start executing

right so reusability is another

important thing about

the importance of the test case so

traceability and reusability

that's the very important aspect of or

importance of the test case right the

third

thing is around the coverage which is

again you know the traceability that we

have covered so

if we have requirement one requirement

two

so if we have written test cases and we

have defined the traceability

of the test cases uh with the

requirements

right so we know that all the

requirements are being covered

with the testing right so if there is

another requirement

for which we don't have any test cases

linked to that particular requirement we

know that we need to basically

um you know link the test cases write

the test cases for the requirement

in order to ensure that particular

requirement has been

tested and quality is good okay so these

are some of the important

points that you need to remember why

writing the test cases

is very important okay so traceability

coverage requirement coverage um

and then reusability is one of the

key factors why test case writing

is very important okay so that's pretty

much all about

this particular tutorial so we have

understood what exactly is a test case

what are the key sections within the

test case

and why the test cases are writing the

test case is important and who writes

the test case in

software testing project so that's all

for this tutorial

in the upcoming tutorial i'll explain

how to write the test case

and cover all the detailed aspects of

writing a test case for a particular

functionality

with example so hope this was helpful

and clear for your learning and

interview purpose

please do share and subscribe and thank

you very much for watching