A Detailed Review Of TestRail Test Management For Jira Tool. Learn Easy to Use Test Automation Plugin TestRail for Jira to Manage, Track and Organize Tests:
If you are working in the field of Software Testing, then you might be familiar with TestRail, the popular Test Management tool that comes with a full Jira Integration.
As a tester, you would also know how challenging it gets when you have to handle multiple projects at once while trying to meet all the deadlines. With all this stress, no one likes to switch from one tool to another and create bug reports from scratch.
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TestRail Test Management For JIRA
Thankfully, you don’t have to do that with TestRail.
Instead, you can:
- Easily push Bug reports to Jira.
- Link test runs directly to Jira issues.
- Initiate test runs from within those issues.
- See the status of your runs directly within Jira.
Let’s explore what else can be done with this tool to get organized and efficient.
Also read => A detailed TestRail Tutorial
What Is TestRail Tool?
TestRail is a tool used by the QA and Development teams to manage the functional, exploratory and automated tests. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that it includes almost everything that a tester needs to fulfill his/her tasks.
Those include:
- A clean and intuitive UI.
- Quick accessibility through the web.
- A central management place to organize and track tasks.
- A wide range of customizations.
The term almost is used here because the TestRail team delivers regular updates in response to the user feedback.
Quick Tour Around TestRail
Before understanding and learning how TestRail works and how to configure the integration with Jira, let’s take a quick tour of TestRail.
The Dashboard
The first thing you see when you log into TestRail is the Dashboard. There you can find your projects and your recent project activity.
The Project Page
Once you click on a project, you are redirected to the Project Overview page, where you can have an overview of your project and also navigate through the other tabs like the Todos, Milestones, Test runs & Results and Test Suites & and Cases.
Overview, Todos & Milestones
Overview, Todo, and Milestones are the first three tabs on the project page.
In the Overview tab, as the name suggests, you will get an overview of the recent activity of your project. Milestones are important targets, such as new beta releases, etc. While the Todos is the list of steps that the users need to fulfill to complete their testing efforts.
Test Suites & Cases
Test cases in TestRail are basically single application functionalities or requirements that testers need to verify. On the other hand, Test Suites are a collection of test cases and are often created for specific project modules or areas.
Test Runs & Results
A Test Run in TestRail is the actual execution of a test. It should always start for a particular Test Suite as TestRail allows users to start multiple test runs for the same Test Suite over time i.e. whenever you need to test a new version of your software, you can start a new Test Run against your existing test cases.
You can also start multiple Test Runs for different platforms, such as operating systems or web browsers that you need to test against, as a part of TestRail’s Test Plan functionality.
When you add a Test Run in TestRail, you can set the pre-conditions, test steps, and the expected result.
Once a test has been performed, you can then add the actual test result:
- Passed
- Blocked
- Retest
- Failed
Reports
TestRail offers various built-in actionable real-time metrics and reports that are especially useful for testers. You can generate detailed summary reports for projects, milestones, plans, runs, compare results across multiple test runs, configurations & milestones and track the workload of your entire team to adjust assignments and resources.
Furthermore, you can find traceability and coverage reports for requirements, tests, and defects, while you can keep a track of test case changes, case activity, and newly added tests. Last but not least, with TestRail you can identify the most failed tests or track Manual vs. Automated tests.
Suggested Read => TestRail Review Tutorial
How Does TestRail Work?
In order to organize your tests more efficiently, TestRail allows you to:
- Create Projects
- Set Milestones and Todos
- Add Test Suites
- Add Test Cases to Test Suites.
- Run Tests for all or Specific Cases.
- See the Progress of your Tests.
TestRail For Jira Integration
As mentioned earlier, TestRail is one of the most popular Test Management tools in the market and its popularity is partially a result of its seamless integration with Jira and other bug tracking tools.
With TestRail for JIRA, you can easily push bug reports to the bug tracker, link Test runs directly to issues, initiate test runs from within those issues and see the status of your runs directly within JIRA.
TestRail For Jira Integration Configuration
TestRail’s seamless integration supports all major JIRA versions, including JIRA Cloud, JIRA Server 3.x – 8x, and any other versions that will be released in the future. The configuration process is very easy and quick.
It is:
- Available for both JIRA Server as well as JIRA Cloud.
- Quick and easy configuration process.
For the configuration process, we would recommend using the integration wizard for JIRA.
All you have to do is:
- Sign-in.
- Go to the “Dashboard”.
- Select the “Administration” tab at the top right.
- Click on “Integration”.
- Click on the “Configure Jira” Integration button.
Note 1: To configure the JIRA server, each user can simply enter the details under their “My Settings” page by clicking on their name. They can simply enter their JIRA login details for integration.
Note 2: If your team is using JIRA Cloud, each user will need an API token instead of their JIRA password.
Alternatively, you can configure the integration manually in three different ways:
- Use defect URLs to link test results to JIRA.
- Use the “Defect plugin” for JIRA to push and look up JIRA issues.
- Use reference URLs and reference integration to link test cases to JIRA.
The defect URLs are used to let TestRail know to access JIRA. Once they are configured, a new “Add” link appears next to the “Defects” field in the “Add Test Results” dialogue.
Defect plugins can be used for a deeper bug tracker integration and they have been split into two separate plugins for cloud and server:
- Jira Cloud plugin
- Jira REST plugin
The reference URLs are used to link test cases to JIRA issues via the “References” field. When the URLs are configured, the issue IDs are linked to JIRA and this indeed makes it easier to find related issues, feature specifications, and requirements.
Defect Plugin Customization
A great advantage that comes with TestRail is its ability to customize the ready-to-use defect plugins for JIRA and other bug trackers.
For Example, if you have customized your bug tracking tool, such as adding custom fields, or if you want to add additional capabilities to a defect plugin, then you can customize it to match your own needs.
With TestRail you can:
- Add custom fields.
- Add built-in fields.
- Implement user mappings.
Conclusion
If you haven’t tried TestRail for JIRA yet, it is worth giving it a try. It comes with a free trial period of 30 days, in which you can decide whether it improves your testing efforts or not.
=> Download TestRail for Jira from here
Overall, TestRail:
- Integrates well with other tools, including JIRA.
- It has a clean UI that helps you to navigate easily through each tab.
- It is scalable and highly customizable.
- Offers various pricing and licensing options.
Let us know if you have any queries about this tutorial.