Test Cases Status:

Status of a thing, is the condition of a thing as with respect to circumstances or attribute.

Monitoring the status make the progress tangible to helps in evaluating the exit criteria and give a view about the product under test state, start monitoring the status while preparing and implementing the test is a key of success to projects.

When test execution phase starts, the testers carried out the test cases which will be executed and test managers are interested with the status.

When we evaluate something, we start to put it under specific conditions which give the confides in the level of matching the needs, when we start test a product, we create and select a set of test cases which cover the usage and standard needs.

A test case is a set of input values, execution preconditions, expected results and execution post-conditions, developed for a particular objective or test condition, such as to exercise a particular program path or to verify compliance with a specific requirement. (ISTQB)

The level of details varies from test case to another, and it depends on many factors such as project time, objectives, need of formal audit, etc…

The status of test cases can be categorizes as follow:

Pass : A test is deemed to pass if its actual result matches its expected result.

Pros : This is a good indicator while system test and acceptance test as well, and if the scenarios critical to quality.

Cons : If the test cases are simple and covers a low level of straightforward scenarios, this is may lead to quality fallacy.

Fail : A test is deemed to fail if its actual result does not match its expected result.

Pros : This is a good indicator while component test and integration test as well, if the scenarios critical to quality.

Cons : This is a bad indicator while system test and acceptance test as well, if the scenarios critical to quality.

Blocked : A test case that cannot be executed because the preconditions for its execution are not fulfilled.

Pros : This can give an over view about the component test effectiveness.

Cons : This may lead to increase the test schedule and overrun the project if this happen in the early stages.

Not Run : A test that is not executed during test iteration.

As long as the project lifetime, the executed tests must be go in a reasonable progressive manner, at the beginning of the project the FAIL status will not be annoying like the status by the end of project, each fail means an opportunity for improvement.

LinkedIN : Samer Desouky – 19, June 2013