Executing in Test Cycles

Tests can be executed in a wide variety of ways:

Using the "Execute" button while viewing a test
From the "Test Execution" section of a test
From the "Test Cycle Summary" page

You can also view Execution Details for a test and can keep track of executions.

The tests in a particular Test Cycle can be sequenced and reordered anytime.

Watch a short video on how to execute tests:

There are 3 ways to execute tests that belong to a test cycle.

1. Using the "Execute" button while viewing a test

You can immediately execute a test while viewing it by clicking on the "Execute" button found in the toolbar.

This opens the "Execute Test" dialog as below, where - just before you actually execute the test - you will want to add it to an existing test cycle. On selecting this option, you can pick the Version (this is the Fix Version/s) and the Test Cycle against which you want the execution results to count. If you cannot find the test cycle against which you want this execution to count, you may have to create a test cycle first.

On clicking the "Execute" button above you can now enter execution details.

2. From the "Test Execution" section of a test

When a test has been added to a Test Cycle, it shows up in the Test Executions section of the test as you are viewing it. See an example below. You can click on the "E" button for any of these tests and enter execution details. You can also re-execute a test from here.

3. From the "Test Cycle Summary" page

For the more structured testing process, the Test Cycles Summary page is the starting point for executions. This page shows a list of all tests that have been grouped together by Test Cycle for a particular Version. Selecting the appropriate Version displays a list of Test Cycles that have been created for it. Clicking on any one of those Test Cycles shows the list of tests that are part of that cycle. A progress tracking bar on the right provides a quick breakdown of the status of that test cycle.

Tests are shown in groups of 10 and a navigation bar allows you to jump to the next 10 in the list. The following fields are sortable: ID, Status, Summary, Executed On and Executed By. The "E" button on each row allows for the test to be executed where you can enter execution details.

Execution Details

In all of the above scenarios, clicking on the "Execute" button will open the Execution page where details about the execution can be entered.

Execution Status: Selecting this field, a drop-down list of options are shown. The default statuses are UNEXECUTED, PASS, FAIL, WIP (Work in Progress) and BLOCKED. These statuses can be customized by your JIRA Administrator.
Defects: A new defect can be created by clicking on the "Create New Issue" or by directly typing in text to get a list of possible matches. The drop down also lists existing issues that could be selected to associate with this execution.
Comment: Details about the test execution can be entered here.
Attachments: Files can be attached to this execution and other users can preview the attachment(s) before actually downloading the file.
Test Execution Custom Fields: Custom fields defined for test executions.
Execution History: This displays a running list of all changes that occurred to this test execution and who made those changes and when. This section can be collapsed if needed.

You can also do test step-level executions and change the status. You can also provide step level information like Comments, Attachments and file Defects at that level.

Note: The Execution Status of the overall test is NOT automatically modified based on the status of the individual test steps. You will still have to set the Execution Status of overall test manually.

Once done entering the execution details, click anywhere else to automatically save your information. You can then decide (based on how you got to this execution screen) whether you want to return to the test or return to the test cycle.

When a new defect is created this way (or an existing one is associated to this test execution), a remote link is created in that particular defect under the “Links” section. It shows the test with a link to this execution, the test cycle it was a part of and its current test execution status. Users view defect remote issue linking associated with both the test case level as well as the individual test step.

Users can inverse configure the issue linking of step level defects by enabling the flag "inverse issue links directionality" and clicking on "reset."

Keeping Track of Executions

This small but significant marker allows you to keep track of where you last left off your execution, allowing you to restart your execution with the next test. This marker is displayed only if you have performed a detailed execution (and not just a Quick Execute).

Reordering Test Executions

Tests are sequenced in a Test Cycle based on when they were added to it. But this sequence can be changed, i.e. you can reorder the tests anytime and implement the appropriate sequencing you like for a particular Test Cycle. This can be very useful in scenarios where a particular sequence of order has to be maintained when executing tests or certain tests have dependencies on other tests and cannot be executed until certain previous tests have been executed/passed.

The reordering feature can be accessed from the drop-down menu of the gear icon on the right side of the Test Cycle

In the resulting window, all the tests for a particular Test Cycle are shown in their current sequence. This can be reordered by dragging and dropping a test from its current position to where you want it to go in the order. Use the grabber on the left of a test to select and grab a test, move it to where you want to drop it and let go. All the tests then get reordered accordingly. Note that the test ID (issueID) does not change.

If the ordering in a Test Cycle view looks like it is messed up (because it was sorted using one of the sortable columns), then select the "Executions by Order" item in the drop-down menu of the gear icon. This will change the Test Cycles view back to the original sequence.

Practical Example

Execute your tests from the test cycle in the "Test Cycle Summary" page. Sort by Status, which will give you group all the UNEXECUTED tests together. Click on the "E" button or the ID of the test in the list, enter the execution details and click on the "Return to Test Cycle". This will take you back to the sorted list of tests, pick the next UNEXECUTED one and click on "E". Repeat.

The last test you executed in this manner will also show a little visual marker. This will let you know where to pick up your executions from at a later time.

This will allow you to get into a good test execution rhythm and increase your productivity.