What is a test case?

Test cases direct testers to check features, functionalities, and scenarios where something might go wrong. It’s a systematic process that helps identify bugs, verify system behavior, and deliver a high-quality product that provides a good out-of-the-box user experience.

In this article, you’ll learn what you need to know about test cases, including their role in the testing process, the different types, why they’re crucial in software development, how they’re designed and written, the key benefits and challenges associated with them, and tips for managing them effectively. By the end, you’ll clearly understand test cases and how to use them effectively.

Test cases direct testers to check features, functionalities, and scenarios where something might go wrong.

Test cases in the testing process

Test cases are the base of any successful testing process. They serve as actionable tools that bridge the gap between planning and implementation. While test plans define the overall testing objectives, test cases are the individual steps.

Understanding the terminology

When it comes to software testing, we often mix up several terms: test cases, test plans, test scenarios, and others. Let’s break these down.

1. Test plan: A detailed document that contains the overall testing strategy, including objectives, resources, timelines, and scope. It answers what needs to be tested and how it will be approached.
2. Test scenario: A detailed check to verify that a specific functionality is up to the mark. For example, “Verify the login process” is a test scenario. It acts as a general framework for several test cases rather than going deep into particular stages.
3. Test case: A detailed instruction taken from a test scenario that specifies the exact input, expected outcome, and conditions to test a specific scenario. For example, the login process scenario includes a test case for verifying that a user has entered their username and password correctly.
4. Test script: Used primarily in automated testing. It’s a set of code or commands written to execute test cases automatically.

Types of test cases

Test cases come in different types, each designed to verify specific aspects of an application.

• Functional test cases

Test cases verify that a program meets its functional specifications. They check that every feature functions correctly and focus on what the software is intended to do. For instance, a functional test case for a login feature might check to see if users can log in successfully using the right credentials and if they’ll see an error if they use the wrong ones.

• Performance test cases

Performance test cases examine the application’s functionality in various scenarios, including high user traffic and low system resources. These tests determine whether a program is stable, quick, and responsive—even under pressure. For example, they may test how fast a page loads when thousands of people visit it at once.

• Security test cases

Security test cases focus on protecting the application from vulnerabilities, such as unauthorized access, data breaches, and hacking attempts. These cases test areas like password encryption, access control, and secure data handling. For example, a security test case might check the secure transmission of sensitive data like credit card information.

• Usability test cases

Usability test cases determine how easy to use and intuitive an application is. These cases ensure that the interface is clear, accessible, and functional. For example, a usability test case might check whether navigation menus are easy to use or if the instructions on a form are clear.

• Boundary test cases

Boundary test cases examine the system’s behavior at the extreme edges of input ranges, identifying potential breaking points or unexpected behaviors. They test the software’s limits by using minimum, maximum, just inside, and just outside boundary values. For example, if a form allows entering up to 100 characters, a boundary test case might test what happens with 99, 100, and 101 characters. These tests ensure that the system handles edge cases properly.

• Regression test cases

Regression test cases ensure that new modifications or updates to the application don’t break current functionality.

• Exploratory test cases

Exploratory test cases are more informal and aim to test the application in an unscripted manner. Testers use their knowledge and intuition to investigate the software and discover hidden errors that may not be covered by established test cases.
h2>Designing and writing a test case

Designing and writing test cases is one of the most important parts of software testing. A well-designed test case ensures clarity, coverage, and performance, making the process more efficient and precise.

Key Points, components, and general format

A good test case consists of the following key components:

1. Test case ID: A unique identifier that helps track and reference specific test cases. It provides a quick way to locate and manage individual test cases within a larger testing framework.
2. Title or description: A clear, concise statement that explains the purpose and scope of the test case. It immediately clarifies what specific functionality or scenario it’s testing. A well-written title helps team members quickly grasp the test case’s objective without diving into detailed steps.
3. Preconditions: Any setup or initial conditions that need to be met before executing the test, like user credentials or specific browser settings. Preconditions ensure that the test environment is properly prepared, providing a consistent and controlled starting point for each test.
4. Step-by-step actions: A step-by-step list of actions the tester must follow for consistent execution.
5. Expected results: The desired outcome after performing the steps, which determines if the test passes or fails.
6. Actual results: The real outcome observed during test execution. This is filled in during the actual testing process, documenting how the system actually performed compared to the expected results.
7. Pass/fail status: The final determination of whether the test case met all expected conditions. This provides a clear, binary assessment of the test’s success, helping teams quickly identify areas that require further investigation or correction.

Best practices

Here are some best practices to make your test cases effective and efficient:

1. Keep it simple: Write test cases in plain language. Avoid overly technical jargon.
2. Make it reusable: Design test cases that you can reuse in different testing scenarios to save time and effort.
3. Focus on coverage: Cover all possible scenarios, including positive, negative, and edge cases.
4. Prioritize test cases: Focus on high-priority functionalities first to address critical issues early.
5. Have clear expected results: Specify precise and measurable expected outcomes.
6. Review and update regularly: Review and update test cases as the application evolves to stay relevant.
7. Avoid assumptions: Clearly define preconditions and inputs to avoid misunderstandings.

Designing and writing test cases is one of the most important parts of software testing.

How to manage test cases

Effective test case management means seamless effective testing. It involves organizing, storing, and maintaining test cases to keep them relevant and accessible. Here’s how to handle these crucial aspects of test case management.

How to store test cases

Organizing and storing test cases properly allows easy access and good collaboration. Use test management software such as Tricentis qTest to centralize and organize test cases. Classify them based on criteria such as functionality, priority, and testing phase. Always use clear naming standards and tags to make search and retrieval quick and easy. You can use spreadsheets for minor projects, but as the complexity increases, switching to a test management platform like Tricentis is strongly advised for greater scalability and collaboration.

How to keep test cases up to date

Test cases require continuous modification to remain relevant as the application evolves. When a new feature is added, existing functionality changes, or defects are resolved, you’ll need to review the related test cases and adjust them according to the most recent requirements. Schedule regular inspections of the whole test case suite to find old or irrelevant test cases and remove or update them as needed. Engage team members in review sessions for accuracy and consistency. Keeping test cases current reduces mistakes during execution and ensures that testing is consistent with the application’s current state.

Benefits of using test cases

Here are some key benefits of using test cases:

1. Improved software quality: Test cases ensure that every functionality and feature is thoroughly tested, minimizing the risk of missed bugs or untested scenarios before an application reaches end users.
2. Risk reduction: By methodically testing various scenarios and potential failure points, test cases help identify and mitigate potential risks early in the development process.
3. Easy reusability: Well-written test cases can be reused across different projects and iterations, saving time and effort when creating new test plans.
4. Efficient defect identification: Structured test cases make it easier to identify defects and their root causes during execution, speeding up the debugging process.
5. Comprehensive coverage: Test cases ensure that every aspect of the software is examined, from basic functionalities to complex interactions and edge cases. This provides confidence that the software performs consistently across different scenarios, user interactions, and environmental conditions.

Challenges of using test cases

Here are some common challenges.

• Time-consuming to create: Writing detailed test cases requires significant time and effort, especially for complex applications with numerous features.
• Maintenance overhead: As software evolves, test cases must be continuously updated to remain relevant. This requires dedicated resources and can become challenging in a regularly changing development environment.
• Skill and expertise requirements: Designing effective test cases demands a high level of technical skill, domain knowledge, and analytical thinking.
• Potential for a false sense of security: Extensive test cases might create a false perception of complete software reliability. Teams might become overly confident in their testing approach, potentially overlooking critical aspects that require more nuanced or exploratory testing methods.
• Difficulty in prioritization: For large projects, prioritizing which test cases to execute first can be challenging, leading to inefficiencies.

Conclusion

You should now have a clear idea of the importance of thorough testing procedures and test cases in any small-to-large-scale software application to guarantee its performance. You learned the different types of test cases and how to design and write them effectively. In addition, you learned how to manage test cases, the benefits they bring, and the challenges they present. This article has equipped you with practical knowledge to create and maintain test cases that improve the quality and reliability of your software. You should now be ready to incorporate test cases into your testing strategy so that your projects are successful.

This post was written by Gourav Bais. Gourav is an applied machine learning engineer skilled in computer vision/deep learning pipeline development, creating machine learning models, retraining systems, and transforming data science prototypes into production-grade solutions.