2 Want a rapid SDLC? Manage testing directly inside Jira

Let's face it— it's hard to optimize your test efforts. If you conduct too few tests, you risk releasing a product that is flawed. On the other hand, you might invest heavily in testing and still overlook critical elements, missing critical bugs. Additionally, there's always the very real possibility of overspending.

Another complicating factor is the need for thorough reporting on testing processes. Reporting can be especially demanding in regulated industries, where strict compliance with guidelines adds to the overall burden.

Here are the key strategies to address these challenges:

1. Externalise Test Coverage: Make test coverage explicit. Without good visibility of test coverage, you can't assess the overall status of the release. To identify test gaps, link tests to stories and requirements. Some teams enhance this practice by conducting thorough reviews of linked tests to ensure comprehensive coverage of all relevant areas. Capture coverage status, for example, in a dedicated field in Jira on the requirement work item.

2. Shift to the left: Include testing stories as part of Sprint work. Incorporate testing into the Definition of Done for stories to promote accountability and ensure quality from the start.

3. Introduce test automation: Recognise the critical role of regression tests in delivering stable releases over time. Implement automation to streamline testing processes and enhance efficiency.

4. Automate test reporting: Prevent scenarios where authoring release documentation delays a shippable release. Ensure timely and efficient reporting to facilitate quicker releases.

5. Embrace AI in test management: Integrate AI technologies into test management to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in test authoring and execution.

Bringing test management right into Jira helps drive all these strategies.

Among the numerous test management apps on the Atlassian Marketplace, Xray Test Management for Jira is my top pick. It's the most popular option in Jira and a favorite among my clients in the pharmaceutical and medical technology industries.

Additionally, I utilize Confluence and our app, Snapshots, to turbocharge test reporting and release documentation. This setup shrinks the time spent in the final stretch of each release cycle.

Don't fly blind! Make test coverage visible

The status of test coverage serves as a crucial indicator of the actual state of our release. If significant portions of the system lack tests or if regression tests for major components have not been executed, any assumption that we are nearing release readiness is premature.

Therefore, understanding the status of test coverage is vital for the entire team, particularly for project and program managers. It provides them with the situational awareness necessary for informed decision-making.

Ideally, this awareness is based on real-time data that reflects our ongoing progress. Relying on static Excel files or disjointed test reports across various platforms will not suffice. We need cohesive, live updates to ensure clarity and alignment as we move towards the release.

To solve this issue:

1. Use Xray to manage all your tests in Jira.

2. Integrate Xray with your test automation tools and automated testing pipeline to ensure the data in Xray is always up to date.

3. Link Xray tests to your requirements and user stories.

Once you have established the necessary foundations, coverage becomes clear:

1. Each story and requirement has a live view of the coverage status. Developers and product owners have complete visibility into the current testing status of the work items that matter to them.

2. Utilize Xray reports and Jira snapshots to get an accurate picture of your current coverage status across the project. Eliminate any guesswork and avoid magical thinking—if test coverage is not complete, we are not ready to ship.

Shift to the left: Test stories and prepare your product test cases as part of the Sprint

The earlier you test the stories, the quicker you arrive at a stable release. First, you can identify and fix problems sooner, and second, it provides more accurate information about the status of each story and the overall release.

Managing tests inside Jira means that testers work on the same Sprint board as developers. Test work is not only part of the Sprint but also part of the Definition of Done.

Honest progress tracking requires integrated test automation

Many organizations utilize multiple test automation tools because the best choice often depends on the specific system or application being tested. The types and scope of tests also impact the choice of automation tools (for example, UI tests versus API tests).

From a program perspective, coverage visibility requires integrating automated tests with your central test system. When managing tests on Xray, integration with automated tests can be achieved using Xray's APIs and the ecosystem around Xray.

The integration between Xray and the test automation system provides two key features:

1. Every test that contributes to test coverage is represented as a work item of type "Test" in Jira/Xray. This work item is linked to the test implementation in the automated testing system.

2. The results of executing the automated tests are reflected in Xray/Jira. When the automation test pipeline runs, it imports results into Jira, ensuring test coverage is up to date.

:SDLC_dark_green: Read more about integrated test management: 3 Integrate test automation with SDLC

Automate test reporting (for release documentation)

With test coverage achieved, the release is ready to be shipped. We do not want to delay the shipment just because of lengthy and complicated release documentation.

Using Confluence with Snapshots for release documentation, users reported that it speeds up the process by six times. Here is how:

1. Product owners and quality engineers can prepare complete documentation in advance using organizational or program standard templates. There is no need to write any scripts, no need to know JavaScript, and no need to be an administrator.

2. The snapshots tables automatically aggregate the exact scope of data from Jira in a format that meets the requirements of the Quality System.

3. Once the tests are complete, updating all the release documentation is a quick process—essentially, it's just one click to refresh each of the snapshots in your release documents.

4. All stakeholders and subject matter experts, even those who are not on Jira, can review the documents in Confluence (as long as they have access to the page).
   

The out of the box coverage and traceability reports (in Xray) aren't as configurable as, say a snapshot. Snapshot is a great tool because it lets you develop a custom JQL driven filter with several layers of logic. And that makes something like a traceability report customizable to the point that it's as accurate as you need it to be, even in the context of messy sometimes JIRA issues”

Tony Sexton - QA Manager at Caris Life Sciences

AI for test management

AI is a growing trend that promises to reshape test management. Xray has recently announced that AI-powered test case generation will be available in Q3 2025. Watch for future articles about this.

Conclusion

Optimizing test management in Jira is key to a faster and more reliable software development life cycle. By making test coverage clear, incorporating testing earlier, automating tests and documentation, and leveraging AI, teams can work more effectively. Xray provides real-time insights into test coverage, encouraging better teamwork between developers and testers. By adopting these strategies, you can maximize the ROI of your test investments.

Interested in learning more about Xray, Snapshots, and compliant release reports? Watch this webinar

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