Purpose of the Guide
Manual quality assurance (QA) testing is an important step. It helps make sure your software works well and meets user needs. For small teams or solo founders, testing can feel like a big job. However, spending just a little time on QA can:
Ensure software reliability.
Find important issues before users experience them. (This helps reduce turnover on your app. So, we can say it is closely linked to money).
Save time and resources by preventing larger problems in production.
📘 This guide serves as a QA test plan template and provides a step-by-step approach to helping you perform effective manual tests, even with limited resources.
Who Can Benefit Most From This Guide
SaaS Founders: Entrepreneurs with minimal resources who need to deliver reliable software to customers. Often wearing multiple hats, they seek efficient, hands-on solutions for maintaining software quality.
Small SaaS Teams: Development-focused teams without a dedicated QA team who want to ensure seamless application functionality despite time constraints.
Companies Without Dedicated QA Teams: Organizations juggling various responsibilities that need a straightforward, actionable approach to testing without extensive setup or overhead.
💡 TIP: You can go the same according to our QA test plan template, or adjust based on your
needs, the most important thing is to understand the basics from our guide, what's important when doing manual qa tests.
Steps to Conduct Manual QA Tests
1. Identify Key Features to Test
Focus on important user paths like login, payment processes, and data submission workflows. If you have limited resources, testing every small detail does not make sense. This is especially true for large applications. You know best what is critical and which bugs are not acceptable in production.
Example: For a SaaS application, testing the subscription flow is essential for business success. It can cost a lot, and users are not able to buy a subscription or start a trial version.
💡 TIP: Prioritize features that directly impact user experience and business outcomes.
2. Design Test Cases
Write detailed test cases for each feature using a simple format (e.g., Excel or Google Sheets). Include:
Feature: The functionality being tested.
Steps: Actions the user performs.
Input Data: Any required inputs (e.g., test usernames).
Expected Results: What should happen if the test passes.
Status Column: Use labels like "Working," "Not Working," or "Partially Working."
Example Test Case:
3. Create a Test Plan
A test plan should outline clear, repeatable steps. Here’s a breakdown of key stages:
3.1 Testing in Development Environment (Dev)
Developer Pushes Changes to Dev Environment:
Action: The developer pushes their changes (new features, bug fixes, etc.) to the development environment.
Task Status Update: The developer updates the task status to "Ready to Test (Dev)".
2. QA or Assigned Tester Conducts Testing:
Action: The QA team member or designated tester tests the task in the dev environment. and moves tasks to the status "In Testing (Dev)"
Testing Focus: Verify that the new feature or fix works as intended. For example:
Example: Test a new login feature to ensure it works across all supported browsers and devices
Proof of Testing: The QA tester attaches proof of testing (e.g., screenshots, videos, test logs) to the task to document the results.
Outcome: If everything works as expected and there are no blockers or major bugs, the task can proceed to the stage for further testing.
3.2 Testing in Staging Environment (Stage)
Testing in Stage Environment:
Action: Assigned tester test all tasks that have the status "Ready to Test (Stage)" and move them to "In Testing (Stage)"
Testing Focus: Test tasks that came from development and test the whole application before deploying for production. This ensures the new feature works well with the whole application, and the application doesn’t have issues in other places caused by new changes.
Regression Testing: Verify that no existing features have been broken by the new changes.
Functional Testing: Ensure the new feature works end-to-end across various use cases.
Example: For a new login feature, test the entire user login process. Make sure it works well on different browsers, devices, and situations.
Outcome: Ensure all new tasks work without major issues and verify that no regressions occurred before moving to production.
3.3 Post-Deployment Testing (Production)
Testing After Production Deployment:
Action: After a new version is deployed to production, manual testing is conducted to verify the most critical features.
Testing Focus: Ensure that critical production features are functioning correctly after the deployment. This includes:
Core features like payments, user registration, dashboards, etc.
Example: After a production release, test the entire purchase workflow. Make sure users can complete transactions. Like activating a trial or purchasing a subscription for software.
Monitoring: Continuous monitoring of the application to catch any issues that may arise post-deployment.
Outcome: If no major issues are found, the deployment is successful and stable. If there are serious problems, going back to the old version is a good choice. This should be done until the new version is ready.
Here is a visual representation of the above flow:
4. Execute Test Cases According to Flow
Follow each test case step-by-step and choose the result in the status column, whether this is working fully or not.
Write down any issues next to the status if the task has problems. This helps you report them later to the software where you manage the application development.
After testing all documents with the planned test cases, you gonna record any bugs on your development dashboard. This could be Jira, Trello, Asana, or another tool. It's very important to write down bugs and assign priority to fix each, whether they are blockers or not.
💡 TIP: Use the app called "Loom" to quickly document by video issues you found. Share them in a spreadsheet and later in the bug task. This is the fastest way to keep things running smoothly. You can use free software like OBS to upload videos to tasks. However, not all apps let you upload large videos. With Loom, it’s just a link.
5. Report and Document Bugs
Log all identified defects or issues in a bug-tracking system.
Include:
Bug Title: Brief description of the issue.
Severity: Critical, Major, Minor.
Steps to Reproduce: Clear instructions to replicate the issue.
Screenshots: Visual evidence of the problem.
Suggested Fixes: Optional suggestions for developers.
Example Template:
💡TIP: Write detailed notes in the bug task. Explain how you tested it. You can also attach videos and screenshots. This will help you remember how to reproduce the bug later.
6. Review and Improve
After testing, review the process and results to identify:
Areas for improvement.
Additional test cases to include.
Documentation updates to simplify future testing.
💡 TIPS:
Conduct a retrospective with your team to discuss lessons learned. If bugs happened in production, think about why this happened. Was the stage properly tested? Or maybe there was a lack of testing in production? Maybe there is regression—why wasn’t it caught earlier, and a user had to report this?
Update your test plan and cases based on feedback. QA is a never-ending process, especially if you iterate fast and work in an agile style.
Time-Saving Tips for Busy Teams
Follow the workflow we suggested in this document. Always look for ways to speed up the process. Make sure to maintain quality.
Start with the most critical features that contain the usual user flow, and expand over time. Assign priorities to each test. When you face a lack of time, focus on the most important features, and never push versions without any tests!
When to Consider Automation
If repetitive workflows are frequently tested, consider introducing tools like Selenium or Cypress to complement manual testing. Automation can save significant time while maintaining consistency.
Final Thoughts
Manual QA testing doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By following these steps, you can improve your software’s quality, enhancing the user experience and reducing churn. Start small, stay consistent, and iterate on your process. If you need help with manual or automated tests, click here to work with us
FAQ
What If I want to hire a team to do QA testing services?
If you're looking for a dedicated team for manual QA testing or automated QA testing, you can visit our dedicated page and fill form to contact QA testing services
What is automation testing in QA?
Automation testing in QA involves using code to automate various test cases, user flows, and endpoints. While it requires an upfront investment, it significantly reduces the need for manual testing. Over time, this approach saves both time and money, making the testing process more efficient and cost-effective.
QA Vs Testing?
Focus:
QA: Focuses on processes and strategies to ensure the product meets quality standards. It aims to prevent defects by establishing guidelines and improving workflows.
Testing: Focuses on identifying defects or bugs in the product by detecting issues through various testing methods.
Goal:
QA: The goal is to improve the overall development and delivery process to ensure quality at every stage.
Testing: The goal is to validate the functionality, reliability, and performance of the product.
Approach:
QA: A proactive approach that includes planning, documentation, and process monitoring.
Testing: A reactive approach that involves executing test cases, scripts, and scenarios after development.
Scope:
QA: Broad, covering the entire software development lifecycle (SDLC) to ensure quality in every phase.
Testing: Narrower, focusing specifically on evaluating the product after certain development milestones.
Who Performs It:
QA: Typically carried out by QA engineers, process managers, or project managers.
Testing: Performed by software testers or developers during various testing phases.
In summary, QA is about preventing issues by refining processes, while testing is about finding issues in the final product. Both are crucial for delivering high-quality software.