Main Navigation Bar
On logging into JIRA, you will see a top-level navigation bar with "Dashboard", "Projects" and "Issues" among other items. A "Tests" item is also present if you have Zephyr for JIRA, and it looks like this:
- Create a Test: Allows you to create a brand new test under the current project. The issue type is "Test" and is indicated by this icon:
- Search Tests: This opens the Issue Navigator to allow searching for tests
- Plan Test Cycle: This takes you to the "Test Cycles" tab on the left, to let you create and view various test cycles based on version
- Execute Tests: Allows the tester to access any test cycle for that project and start executing tests. Note: a test can also be executed directly while viewing it
- Test Metrics: Opens the "Test Dashboard" with testing metrics gadgets displayed
- Zephyr Help: Online Help documentation (probably what you are reading right now!)
- About Zephyr: Version and license information
Test Summary
The Test Summary page is accessed either via clicking on the top-level "Tests" in the navigation bar or by selecting the "Test Summary" tab on the left side.
This page provides a comprehensive view of all the tests that belong to a particular project, summarized based on overall totals, Versions, Components and Labels. Clicking on any of these links will take you to the Issue Navigator and display a list of those tests.
Test Cycles
The Test Cycles page is accessed either via clicking on "Plan Test Cycle" or "Execute Tests" in the top-level "Tests". This can also be selected by clicking on the "Test Cycles" tab on the left side.
This page allows you to view test cycles that have been created for a particular version of a project, create new ones, and drill-down into the list of tests for execution. Selecting a different version will change the view and display the test cycles for that selected version. A summary of the execution status is also displayed on the right and hovering over it provides additional stats.
Create and View a Test
A test can be created in any one of the ways that any issue type can be created in JIRA. For example, clicking on the "Create Issue" link or "Create Test" link will bring up the following screen:
A test can be viewed in its entirety in the following "View Issue" page (click to enlarge):
On this screen, you'll find a toolbar that will allow you to access various features associated with editing and executing a test:
- Edit: This takes you back to the edit mode for this test and allows you to update various fields. Note that the "Test Details" section can be edited directly in this View Issue page
- Clone: A test can be very easily and quickly cloned
- Link: This brings up the "Link Issue" dialog that allows this test to be linked to any other issue (Task, Improvement, Story, Epic etc.)
- More Actions:
- Add to Test Cycle: Allows this test to be added to a specific test cycle of a version for test execution
- Attach Files: Allows files to be attached to this test
- Attach Screenshot: Allows screenshots to be attached to this test
- Comment: Add a comment to this test
- Execute: This allows for this test to be executed - either in an ad hoc manner (i.e. not associated with any particular test cycle and/or version) or as part of a test cycle
Execute Test
This screens allows you to execute a test by changing its status, filing a new bug or associating an existing one, adding attachments and comments. You can then save and return to the test or the test cycle from where you had come.
