What is Test Management?
Test management manages the process of testing a system or application that is being prepared for a release. Test management provides the QA manager, test engineers, and business analysts, as well as project managers and stakeholders, the necessary information to help assess the quality and readiness of the application or system under development.
The role of test management is to ensure that all bases for testing receive adequate test coverage, and defects discovered during testing are accurately tracked, evaluated, and resolved. This ensures the end product meets the stated requirements and meets acceptable functional and performance criteria.
As a process, test management offers the following:
• Manages the testing of a system or application that is being prepared for a release.
• Provides the QA manager, test engineers, and business analysts, as well as project managers and stakeholders, the necessary information to help assess the quality and readiness of the application or system under development.
• Ensures that all aspects of testing receive adequate test coverage, and defects discovered during testing are accurately evaluated, and resolved. This results in an end product that meets the stated requirements and meets acceptable functional and performance criteria.
Most commercial test management products are delivered as standalone solutions, creating an island within QA, disconnected from the rest of the team; requirements management is typically performed via an external system requiring integration and duplication of data, and defect management is typically either delivered as a separate component requiring integration or as a module of the test management system that is not appropriate for use by the developers who must fix the defects.
With the typical siloed approach, Project Managers looking for complete information on the status of their project have no single system available that provides the comprehensive picture they require.