Why Your QA Team Needs a Jira Test Management Tool

Jira is a bug tracking and project management tool developed by Atlassian and it is used the world over by developers and QA teams alike. In fact, it is one of the most popular tools used by software professionals today. It is designed to help teams manage their tasks, keep track of bugs and defects, and collaborate with other teams effectively while working on a project.

However, QA professionals have moved on to using Jira for test management as well – though the tool was never designed for it – and this understandably throws some challenges. This is where a Jira test management tool can be the solution. QARA Enterprise is one such platform that integrates with Jira to enhance its test management capabilities. Zephyr is another automation platform that integrates with Jira to offer similar benefits.

Why Software Professionals Use Jira

• Offers better visibility of the process which improves collaboration and prevents delays.
• Allows for effective prioritization of tasks.
• Offers several features to enhance the productivity of the software development process.
• Allows users to track the time taken to complete each and every task that is a part of a project.
• It’s a free tool which makes it extremely cost effective.

Drawbacks of Using Jira for Test Management

In spite of all the advantages it offers, there are certain challenges that come up when Jira is used for test case management, some of which are as follows:

• Does not support handling of version control.
• No provision for repeated execution of test cases.
• Does not allow grouping of executions and cycles.
• No in-built functionality for supporting test case management.

Why a Jira Test Management Tool is the Solution

A Jira test management tool is an automation tool that comes with Jira integration. The Jira integration makes it possible for QA professionals to access the benefits of Jira within the interface of the tool itself. The external Jira integration comes with its own set of benefits as it does not require the user to switch from one platform to another to access Jira projects. With the integration in place, all the details of the Jira project can be accessed from the interface of the tool itself.

Given below are the key advantages of using a Jira test management tool:

1] Offers the user the access to the functionalities of both the tools

A Jira test management tool allows users to access functionalities of Jira as well as the dedicated test management platform in a single interface. This means there is no need to spend time switching from one interface to another. This makes the process easier and effortless, and offers the QA teams the best of both worlds.

2] Creates a boost in efficiency

The tool brings the benefits of Jira to the automation testing scenario, which leads to better collaboration between teams. This results in a boost in efficiency.

3] Creates provision for multiple usage of test executions

Since Jira is not a platform for test management, it has no provision for creation of repeated test case executions. This can be a disadvantage when it comes to repeated executions. A Jira test management tool is the solution as it allows users the provision for multiple usage of scripts for repeated executions.

4] Allows users access to entire history of executions inside Jira

Through the integration, the users can access the entire history of executions, which means all the previous projects worked on. This feature is one of the biggest advantages, as the user doesn’t lose data when switching from Jira to a Jira test management tool.

5] Provision for consolidation of automated and manual execution

The fact that an automation platform with Jira integration consolidates the manual executions with the automated executions, can be a big advantage. Every project has its own share of manual executions along with the automated ones, and being able to see them all at one place, makes tracking progress fast and easier.

Conclusion:

So, it can be safely concluded that a Jira test management tool is what QA teams need today in order to seamlessly integrate the functionalities of test management and enhanced collaboration between teams. It’s what can be referred to as the ‘best of both worlds’ for QA professionals as well as for the organization.