Overcoming the Challenges of Using JIRA for Test Case Management

JIRA is a software launched by Atlassian for the purpose of issue and project tracking and over the years, it has emerged as the world’s most popular tool used by Agile teams. The growing inclination of organizations to go agile makes thousands of them adopt it every day. The interesting fact is that organizations are using it not just for issue and project tracking but also for test case management – a purpose JIRA was never built for!

While there are hacks for this, there are certain challenges that QA teams face while doing so (for obvious reasons!).

Challenges of Using JIRA for Test Case Management

1. No option for grouping executions and cycles.
2. Supports the CI server alone when it comes to integration with different frameworks.
3. Does not offer in-built functionality required to support test case management.
4. No option available for traceability reporting.
5. Does not support version control handling.
6. Does not support creation of combined reports that cover manual, automation and session-based executions.
7. Does not support repeated execution of test cases.

However, in spite of the limitations, it offers several key benefits which are as follows:

Benefits

1. Facilitates creation of a single workflow for the developer and the QA teams.
2. Allows creation of custom issue types (This feature is smartly used to create “test cases” as an issue type).
3. Works really well for one-time manual execution.
4. Eliminates the need to invest in a separate tool. (This reduces cost and saves time in training the staff to use a new tool).

These benefits have made experts want to figure out solutions to get the best of both worlds – optimum test case management coupled with the collaborative and other advantages. The solution they came up with was basically based on the concept of teaming up JIRA with test management tools and this could be achieved in the following 2 ways- add-ons and JIRA test management tools.

a] Add-Ons

Add-ons are internal integrations that can be installed into JIRA to get the benefits of the test case management tool within its Interface. Leading automation tools have their respective add-ons for it and these are available for download on the Atlassian Marketplace, just like apps for Android and iOS are available for download on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, respectively. The purpose of the add-on is to extend its functionality in order to make it support test case management.

QARA Test Management for JIRA and Zephyr for JIRA are two good examples of highly effective add-ons.

Pros

• Provides access to specific functionality that is otherwise absent.
• Clubs together groups of testing.
• Showcases results of latest executions for each grouping.
• Facilitates improved test case management within a familiar interface.
• Provides the ability to link objects to other issues.

Cons

• Functionality of add-on limited to what the issue tracking tool’s interface allows.
• Might present version limitations.
• Absence of logical folder structures.
• Does not allow running of same test case with multiple variables.

b] JIRA Test Management Tools

This is about bringing in the advantages of JIRA into a dedicated test management tool. A JIRA Test Management tool is a dedicated test management tool with an external integration. Most new age tools have such integrations that allow users to use JIRA within the interface of the tool. QARA Test and Katalon Studio are good examples.

Pros

• Improves efficiency significantly.
• Brings more functionality.
• Facilitates consolidation of automated and manual execution.
• Allows multiple use of executions.
• Showcases entire history of executions inside JIRA which helps in analyzing performance.
• Facilitates sharing of test cases across multiple projects.

Cons

• Dealing with database synchronization issues between the tool and JIRA.
• Dealing with occasional browser restrictions.

The Final Word

So, we see that both the ways have their own set of pros and cons and which one you choose depends on the needs of your organization. You might also continue to use JIRA alone if it helps you achieve your goals.