Revolutionizing Test Management in Jira

For the past months we have been giving you multiple updates - from the apps you already know (and love!) to our activities and events. But the truth is that we kept omitting one big project that we have been pouring our hearts into since last November. And now cat’s out of the bag - we can officially say that we are welcoming Appsvio Test Management (ATM) to our app-family! We are dedicating this edition of our newsletter to ATM and answering the most pending questions - why, how and most importantly, what is ATM? Let’s start from the beginning.

Every solution starts with a problem

Software testing is important - it’s hard to question that statement. Without this process, there’s a high chance that the end-product would not meet expectations of customers. While testers are the guardians of quality, test management, along with suitable tools, allows them to verify and keep track of their tests. As Agile is more often applied to the whole development cycle, including the testing stage, the question arises - what expectations have to be met not only by testers, but also by test management tools?

What does it mean to test in Agile?

First of all, Agile methods set the fast-pace in the whole development cycle. Testing is continuous and happens right after each software feature is dev-complete. Moreover, the testing process doesn’t engage only QA teams - developers, Product Owners, stakeholders are involved as well. Daily meetings are a part of their routine - they share updates, set priorities and make sure that each task aligns with the end-goal. With a variety of perspectives, they uphold the quality of testing and by extension - quality of software. 

In such dynamic environments, testers have to keep up with the speed and be able to adjust to the ever-changing process. Collaboration and communication aren’t just options, they are necessary to maintain the flow of the testing process. 

Agile influence on Test Management tools

As the apps are there to serve testers, the same requirements apply. Adaptability and teamwork are must-haves, regarding not only QA teams, but test management tools as well. While the testing process brings enough complexity, the tool itself should stay simple - in design and in user experience. While Jira is a common product used in managing the development process, Agile QA teams may reach some limits while trying to implement it to the testing stage. Jira can surely be customized, but the task of building the whole system from the ground up can overwhelm anyone. That’s why add-ons that specify in test management are the usual choice of QA teams, as they allow them to track their process without any additional workloads.

The Start of Appsvio Test Management (ATM)

That’s where our road to ATM began - with us trying to implement a test management process in our team and stumbling on multiple bottlenecks. And what started with the words ‘You know what would be cool?’, turned out to be a whole new project. We quickly realized that the two main keywords of Agile testing - simplicity and flexibility - aligned with our goals of creating a new alternative for test management in Jira. In our minds, there were three main aspects we wanted to focus on: functionality, better user experience and security. So with no reasons to hesitate, we started our journey on developing the first Forge test management solution on Atlassian Marketplace.

Why choose Forge?

What was, at first, presented as a solution that addresses the challenges faced by developers, at this moment, Forge is a new standard on the Atlassian Marketplace. With changes happening in the Atlassian Ecosystem, starting from Connect’s end of support to shifting the main focus of Atlassian towards the Cloud hosting, Forge platform is certainly a part of this revolution. In comparison to Connect, Forge presents new opportunities for the developers curating the solutions on Atlassian Marketplace.

We became familiar with Forge while creating Issue Templates Agent. Since then, the platform has continued to grow - so with the expanded capabilities and our previous experiences, we realized that Forge is our chance to create a solution for modern QA teams. A solution that we will be able to continuously develop while keeping up with the transformations of the Atlassian Ecosystem. So what does Forge offer that truly corresponded with our goals?

Data safety

Apps built on the new platform are hosted on Atlassian infrastructure, which provides a higher level of security. The possibility of data egress is minimized and in instances when it is necessary - users are informed immediately. With some of the responsibilities shared between Atlassian and the Partners, the goal of the platform remains the same - to provide data security, with customer trust always at the core. This was perhaps one of the most valuable aspects for us, as data in the testing stage are incredibly sensitive and a breach at this level could be damaging to the whole software development process. We wanted to keep trust and security as the base of ATM, so using such modules as Forge SQL, gave us a chance to safely create a database that fulfills the commitment of no egress.

A truly native experience

Hosting on Atlassian infrastructure allows it to perfectly mimic the look and feel of Atlassian products. While app functionalities are crucial, a smooth user experience helps tie everything together. Remembering our hurdles with our test management process, we knew that the idea of minimizing differences between Jira and ATM was the goal. By utilizing Forge components, we were able to keep our design simple and intuitive. With testing elements, such as Test Cases or Test Executions, as native work items, test management became an integral part of Jira. 

Test Case Execution object for tracking progress of each step while executing tests - a vital part of ATM.

So what actually is Appsvio Test Management (ATM)?

For us - it certainly was a bold step into a new area of solutions. For the users - we hope ATM could become an alternative tool that keeps test management simple, even when we know it isn’t always like that. At the same time, we kept ATM as flexible as possible when it comes to the configuration of Testing Setup - so that QA teams could have a chance for easier collaboration. By taking out what’s best out of Jira - work items, workflows and permissions, we aimed to offer a tool that extends Jira abilities and adds test management on top of this solid base. Although this is just the beginning of ATM journey, we already have multiple stops planned on our roadmap, so stay tuned! 

The app is already available on the Atlassian Marketplace, so go check it out! If you would like to see it in action, join us for tomorrow’s webinar where we will be doing a demo and answering your questions.

When?🗓️ June 24th, 2:00 PM (PDT)

Save your spot here!

That’s it from us for this edition of our newsletter. Try out the app for yourself and let us know what you think! You can dive deeper into ATM with our documentation. Till next time!