Test Case Life Cycle

Table of Contents

Test Case Life Cycle

The Test Case Life Cycle defines the various stages a test case undergoes from its creation to its closure or retirement. This life cycle ensures systematic testing and effective tracking of test artifacts throughout the software testing process.

The different states and is defined based on the Test management tool used by the organization. In this tutorial, we will use the TestLink tool.

Test Case Generation ( Create Initial Draft )
Test Case Review
Approval
Test Case Rework
Test Case Prioritization & Finalization
Execution
Defect Reporting
Closure

Test Case Generation

In this phase, testing team documents the application test cases. Test cases are created as initial draft.

Testers design test cases based on software requirements, specifications, or user stories. Each test case includes details like Test Case ID, Description, Preconditions, Test Steps, Expected Results, and Actual Results.

Test Case Life Cycle

Test Case Review

Test cases are reviewed by peers or Senior QA engineers to ensure quality, accuracy, clarity, and completeness. Feedback is provided and incorporated. Test cases that are prepared can be moved from draft to Ready for Review state. Testing team reviews the test cases.

Test Case Approval

Once reviewed and finalized, test cases are approved by a test lead or manager for use in testing.

Rework

Test cases with Review comments are reworked. Test cases with review comments can be moved to Rework state.

Test Case Finalization

Upon successful review, test cases are moved to the Final state. This is an important step. Once test cases are finalized, we can version the test case artifacts and baseline them. Any further changes to them would undergo change management process.

Test Case Status
Test Case Importance

Test Case Finalization

Test Case Execution

Test cases are executed in the test environment. Actual results are compared against expected results, and the outcome is marked as:

Pass: Actual result matches expected result
Fail: Actual result does not match expected result
Blocked: Test cannot proceed due to a blocker

Defect Reporting

For failed test cases, defects are reported with detailed reproduction steps, screenshots, logs, severity, and priority. The defect is linked to the failed test case.

Test Case Re-execution

After defect fixes, the failed test cases are re-executed to verify the fix. The test result is updated accordingly.

Test Case Closure

Once all related testing activities are completed and test objectives are met, the test case is marked as closed. Test results are documented and test artifacts are archived.

Test Case Maintenance

Test cases may require updates due to changes in requirements or application behavior. They can be modified, rewritten, or retired as needed.