Azure Test Plans

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1 - Overview

Azure Test Plans provides tools for managing manual and automated tests.

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2 - Test hierarchy

2.1 Structure

Test Plan (Release 1.0)
├── Test Suite: Login
│   ├── Test Case: Login with valid credentials
│   ├── Test Case: Login with invalid password
│   └── Test Case: Password reset
├── Test Suite: Dashboard
│   ├── Test Case: Display widgets
│   └── Test Case: Export data
└── Test Suite: Regression
    └── (Inherited test cases)

2.2 Test Suite types

Type	Description
Static	Tests added manually
Requirement-based	Linked to User Stories
Query-based	Based on a query

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3 - Test Cases

3.1 Create a Test Case

# Via CLI
az boards work-item create \
    --type "Test Case" \
    --title "Verify login with valid credentials" \
    --description "Test that users can login with correct email/password"

3.2 Structure of a Test Case

Field	Description
Title	Test name
Steps	Steps to execute
Expected Results	Expected results
Priority	Priority (1-4)
State	Design, Ready, Closed
Assigned To	Assigned tester

3.3 Example steps

Step	Action	Expected Result
1	Navigate to login page	Login form is displayed
2	Enter valid email	Email is accepted
3	Enter valid password	Password is masked
4	Click Login button	User is redirected to dashboard

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4 - Test Plans

4.1 Create a Test Plan

1. Go to Test Plans
2. Click "New Test Plan"
3. Set the name and iteration

4.2 Configuration

Parameter	Description
Area Path	Project area
Iteration	Target sprint
Build/Release	Associated pipeline
Configuration	Test configurations

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5 - Test execution

5.1 Test Runner

Azure DevOps provides a web Test Runner to:

• Run manual tests
• Capture screenshots
• Record videos
• Create bugs directly

5.2 Test states

State	Description
Passed	Test succeeded
Failed	Test failed
Blocked	Test blocked (external issue)
Not Applicable	Test not applicable
Paused	Test paused

5.3 Create a bug from a test

When a test fails:

1. Click "Create bug"
2. The bug automatically includes:
   • Test steps
   • Screenshots
   • System info
   • Link to the test case

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6 - Automated tests

6.1 Associate automated tests

# azure-pipelines.yml
steps:
  - task: VSTest@2
    inputs:
      testSelector: 'testAssemblies'
      testAssemblyVer2: |
        **\*test*.dll
        !**\*TestAdapter.dll
      searchFolder: '$(System.DefaultWorkingDirectory)'
      testPlan: 12345
      testSuite: 67890
      testConfiguration: 111

6.2 Publish the results

steps:
  - script: npm test -- --reporter=junit
    displayName: 'Run tests'
    continueOnError: true
  
  - task: PublishTestResults@2
    inputs:
      testResultsFormat: 'JUnit'
      testResultsFiles: '**/TEST-*.xml'
      testRunTitle: 'Unit Tests'
      failTaskOnFailedTests: true

6.3 Code coverage

steps:
  - script: npm test -- --coverage
    displayName: 'Run tests with coverage'
  
  - task: PublishCodeCoverageResults@1
    inputs:
      codeCoverageTool: 'Cobertura'
      summaryFileLocation: '$(System.DefaultWorkingDirectory)/coverage/cobertura-coverage.xml'
      reportDirectory: '$(System.DefaultWorkingDirectory)/coverage'

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7 - Test configurations

7.1 Create configurations

Test on different configurations:

Configuration	Browser	OS
Chrome-Windows	Chrome	Windows 10
Firefox-Windows	Firefox	Windows 10
Safari-macOS	Safari	macOS
Chrome-Mobile	Chrome	Android

7.2 Assign configurations

Each test case can be assigned to multiple configurations to test the combinations.

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8 - Reports and metrics

8.1 Progress Report

• Passed vs failed tests
• Progress per suite
• Trends

8.2 Test Results Trend

# Widget dashboard
- Test pass rate over time
- Test duration trends
- Flaky test detection

8.3 Traceability

Link tests to requirements to:

• See the coverage of requirements
• Identify untested requirements
• Trace bugs back to requirements

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9 - Exploratory Testing

9.1 Test & Feedback extension

Install the browser extension to:

• Perform exploratory tests
• Capture bugs
• Take annotated screenshots
• Record the screen

9.2 Workflow

1. Install the extension
2. Connect to Azure DevOps
3. Start an exploratory session
4. Capture the issues found
5. Create the work items

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Summary

In this chapter, we learned:

• The hierarchy of tests (Plans, Suites, Cases)
• Creating Test Cases
• The execution of manual tests
• The integration of automated tests
• Test configurations
• Reports and traceability
• Exploratory tests

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Next step

In the next chapter, we will look at Security and Permissions.

→ Next chapter: Security and Permissions

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