From green checkmarks to real confidence: How qTest and SeaLights close the modern quality gap

In modern software delivery, test results often tell an incomplete story. Test suites run, dashboards turn green, and teams feel momentum.

But one important question often remains unanswered: Did we actually test what we changed?

This is a gap in traditional testing that is widening as more code is generated by AI.

As engineering velocity accelerates (and AI generates increasing volumes of code), the gap between test activity and true coverage is widening. Traditional testing validates business intent, not whether new or modified code paths were exercised. As a result, pass rates go up, but confidence doesn’t.

A two-layer quality model: Governance and runtime evidence

Tricentis qTest and SeaLights combine to deliver a complete model for modern quality. This combination scales enterprise‑wide and grounds decisions in evidence rather than assumptions.

The first layer comes from qTest, which establishes governance. It defines how tests are planned, reviewed, executed, and audited. It aligns testing to business goals and ensures compliance and traceability across teams.

The second layer comes from SeaLights, which provides the truth. It identifies exactly what changed in the code, shows what was exercised at runtime, and pinpoints untested methods and paths tied to specific releases or stories.

Together, they offer something traditional testing can’t: proof of coverage, not just activity.

How qTest & SeaLights offer proof of coverage

1. Test activity becomes real evidence

qTest shows which tests ran and what passed, and SeaLights reveals what code those tests actually touched. Instead of relying on counts or pass rates, teams get runtime coverage tied directly to real code changes.

2. Direct traceability from business change to technical risk

With automatic linkage from a Jira story to the related qTest tests and then to the affected code changes, teams can finally see whether the code behind a given work item was fully exercised. This closes the gap between intent in the user story and the reality of what happened in the code.

3. Exposure of what’s missing, even when everything looks good

Green test results no longer create false confidence. SeaLights highlights untested methods, untested paths, and untested changes per story, component, or release. Teams can validate completeness rather than just checking outcomes.

4. Faster, smarter decisions at release speed

Change impact combined with runtime coverage allows teams to quickly determine what must be tested, what can be safely skipped, what requires deeper validation, and what is fully covered and ready to move forward. Release cycles accelerate because decisions are based on evidence, not debate.

5. QA and engineering share one source of truth

Engineering moves quickly and QA governs quality, but SeaLights connects the two by tying user stories to the exact code that was modified and showing what’s covered or not. This reduces handoff gaps, eliminates unnecessary “did we test this?” meetings, minimizes late‑stage surprises, and creates clearer prioritization.

Where AI fits in: Closing testing gaps automatically

Once SeaLights identifies the untested paths or methods, an AI agent can generate the missing tests and push them directly into qTest. They enter the same workflows teams already use for review, governance, and execution.

This creates a closed loop: identify the gaps, generate the tests, govern and execute them in qTest, and validate coverage at runtime with SeaLights. AI becomes a productivity engine rather than an uncontrolled sidecar.

Teams adopting qTest and SeaLights gain higher release confidence backed by runtime evidence. They reduce the cost of quality by focusing effort on real gaps and prevent more defects from escaping into production thanks to change‑focused validation. Release cycles become more predictable, prioritization becomes clearer, and audits and compliance efforts become far easier with end‑to‑end traceability.

This is what modern quality looks like: governed, intelligent, and grounded in actual runtime behavior.

Deliver faster releases with greater confidence

Teams gain the clarity they need to move forward quickly when every release decision is backed by real, verifiable coverage.

qTest provides enterprise‑grade test governance. SeaLights adds intelligence through change impact and runtime coverage. Together, organizations can beyond static test results and toward an operating model that delivers faster releases, lower risk, higher alignment, and stronger evidence. And all of it happens without requiring teams to change how they work, just strengthening what they know.

Watch our webinar on how to intelligently address test gaps with qTest and SeaLights.