Scaling QA with Centralized Test Case Management

Developing an app involves a series of tests, not just a one-time effort. After release, every time you add a feature or make an update, you need to re-execute tests to make sure everything’s in place and working as expected.

But without a structured way to manage, execute, and maintain those tests, there’s a chance you’ll end up with scattered test cases and incomplete coverage. What you need is one solution to carry out your tests efficiently throughout the software development lifecycle (SDLC).

That’s where test case management enters the picture. In this blog, we will discuss everything you need to know about it to make your testing efforts more streamlined and effective.

What Is Test Case Management?

It’s a structured way of creating, maintaining, and executing a test case in software testing throughout the SDLC.

Managing test cases means continuously tracking their status and context. This involves answering critical questions such as:

• Which test suite should each case belong to?

• What recent code changes should reflect in the test case?

• What can you infer from the results?

The goal is to prioritize critical tasks and assign them to teams with expertise to handle them efficiently. Successful test case management helps uncover discrepancies in software performance, align with business needs, and mitigate risks early in the development process.

Why Is Effective Test Case Management Critical for Your Business

1. Better test documentation

The quality of test cases can make or break your project. Test case management helps you write tests that have clear objectives, defined preconditions, expected results, meaningful pass/fail verifications, and reusability. An organized test suite makes maintenance much easier and improves traceability to business requirements.

2. Faster release cycles

Agile and DevOps models demand faster development cycles, but not at the expense of quality. Test management helps execute relevant regression tests quickly through centralized repositories, prioritize critical test cases, and use dashboard analytics, such as progress and pass/fail rates to make quick decisions.

3. Reduced cost through quicker bug fixes

Test case management helps manage all test cases in a centralized repository. Integrating it into CI/CD pipelines enables you to detect bugs right from the development stage instead of waiting till production, when it’s much costlier to fix. Also, test reusability allows you to re-execute test cases after fixing the bugs without having to write them from scratch.

4. Optimized resource utilization through test prioritization

Test case management eliminates redundant testing efforts by prioritizing tests based on criticality, risks, and business impact. For instance, if you’re a financial institution, data encryption and transaction validation are critical. For eCommerce, add to cart, checkout, and payment gateway functions are high-priority. This targeted approach ensures better resource utilization and maximum testing coverage, even with limited resources.

Stages in the Software Test Case Management Process

A test case management process typically involves the following steps:

1. Test planning

This is the stage where you outline key action items based on test requirements, such as:

• Purpose of the testing project (functionality, usability, security, or performance)

• Features to be tested

• Testing methodology based on the targeted features

• A list of dependencies that might impact test execution

• Project milestones and important deadlines

Modern test management tools offer a centralized test repository to manage test cases by organizing them into structured overviews.

2. Organize test cases

The more features you add to your app, the greater the number of test cases. Organizing them saves you from duplication and running outdated tests.

Typically, test cases are classified by test case type and other factors such as:

• Logical structure (modules, features, or functionality)

• Priority (low, medium, high urgency based on critical functions and or circumstances)

• Naming or titles (keywords focused on function and intent)

• Root cause (design flaw, coding error, or configuration issue)

• Reproducibility (reproducible, intermittent, or non-reproducible)

• Tester and due dates (assigning test cases to specific testers and setting deadlines)

3. Execute test cases

In the execution phase, the QA team can either go for manual or automated testing, or a combination of both. Here, it’s also important to select tools based on your project size, automation framework, and test infrastructure.

Using a mix of manual and automated testing often provides broader coverage and helps identify defects more quickly.

During the execution stage, a tester typically documents the status of the test cases:

• Pass – This means the test case was executed successfully, and it matches the expected result

• Fail – The test case did not match the desired result and indicates a defect

• Not Executed – The case is yet to be executed

• I**n progress – This means the test is active and is being executed by the tester

• Blocked – The test case is marked blocked as it could not be executed due to environment issues or unmet preconditions

• Deferred – Test case not run intentionally, possibly due to low priority, and is kept for execution later

• I**nconclusive – Test cases marked for further analysis before final result submission

4. Report test execution results

Bugs identified during execution are logged and reported to the development team, along with a test report comprising test summaries, defect details, traceability, and retest and regression notes. Once the bugs are fixed, the test cases are re-tested to ensure the app doesn’t fail again.

Measure Your Test Case Management Performance

Here are five of the most important metrics to measure test case performance:

1. Defect Detection Efficiency (DDE)

DDE is a critical metric used to measure the defects found during the build phase compared to defects discovered after deployment. The metric is essential to understanding how efficient your testing process is.

Formula: Defect Detection Efficiency (DDE) = [Total defects found in testing / Total defects found( testing + production )] X 100.

Say, you find 30 bugs during the testing phase ( unit/integration/system tests).

After the release of your app, you discover 5 bugs from customer reviews/complaints. This means your DDE is [ 30/(30+5)] X 100 = 85%. In fact, the ideal target is 85% or higher, indicating fewer defects slipped into production.

2. Test case reusability

This metric determines how many of your test cases can be reused for other projects or scenarios without big modifications. Test case reusability greatly reduces the time and effort spent creating new test cases.

For example, you have a web app with multiple user roles (employee, manager, admin). Instead of creating test cases for each user role, you create a “user management module” test case that can be reused for all user roles.

Formula: Reusability Rate = (Number of test cases reused / Total test cases) X 100

If you can reuse 40 test cases out of a total of 80 test cases, your reusability rate is 50%. The higher the reusability rate, the faster your test cycles are.

3. Test case execution rate

This metric calculates the percentage of test cases run out of the total number of test cases planned. It’s used to keep track of the progress of testing. A low rate indicates a potential delay with the software release.

Formula: Test Case Execution Rate = (Test Cases Executed / Total Number of test cases) X 100

For instance, you’ve planned to run 200 test cases for a major release, and 140 of them have been executed. That’s 70% of the total tests executed.

4. Test coverage

Test coverage indicates the percentage of requirements covered by test cases. You get an idea of the areas that are yet to be tested. This reduces the risk of undiscovered defects.

Formula: Test Coverage = (Number of requirements covered by tests / Total number of requirements) X 100

Let’s say your app has 80 test requirements ranging from functional, non-functional, security and regulatory. Sixty of the requirements have been covered by at least one test case. This means (60/80) X 100 = 75% of the requirements have been covered.

A high test coverage, ideally 90% or higher, means most of your app’s functionality has been tested, and there’s a lower chance of failure post-release.

5. Pass/fail rate

This metric measures the number of test cases that passed or failed during an execution cycle. It’s critical in determining how stable the app is. A high fail rate indicates there are areas (modules, features, or workflows) that need attention.

Formula: Test case pass/fail rate = (passed test cases or failed test cases / total test cases executed ) X 100

Ideally, a pass rate of 80% or higher indicates a solid test case design.

Top Test Case Management Tools in 2025

1. TestGrid

TestGrid is a one-stop solution for test case management.

The platform lets you run and store unlimited test cases with an infinite window to scale more. It comes with an intuitive dashboard to track who is working on what, projects currently in progress, and your team’s performance.

You can execute tests across web, mobile, and tablet apps, and reuse resources and functions. End-to-end automated script simplifies test case creation.

TestGrid comes with near-zero test case flakiness and effective BA-QA interaction to improve test accuracy and shorter feedback cycles.

2. Tricentis qTest

Tricentis qTest is an automated test case management platform that offers a centralized platform for planning, tracking, and reporting test cases and test results. It lets you create event-driven testing workflows with third-party tools like Azure DevOps and Teams. You get to create comprehensive defect reports and share them via URL.

3. Tusker

Tuskr is a test case management tool that supports both manual and automated testing on one platform. Features like rich-text editor, custom fields for business-specific data, and test-case imports directly from spreadsheets help you write better test cases.

Tusker fits right into your automated workflows. You can visualize test execution progress, spot delays, and track KPIs, all through charts.

4. TestRail

TestRail offers a single platform for managing all manual, exploratory, and automated tests in hierarchical folders, making it easier to access.

You can create dropdown menus for test status, import test cases from CSV files, record test history for all executed tests, and compare test case versions side-by-side. Moreover, TestRail can be integrated with almost any tools Selenium, Jenkins, or unit testing frameworks.

5. Zephyr Enterprise

Zephyr Enterprise, a test management tool offered by SmartBear Software, helps you manage test processes at scale across any enterprise level. It integrates seamlessly with Jira and can manage up to 200,000 test cases.

It helps manage multiple projects in one place, offers unlimited data storage for large enterprises, and customizable reports.

Best Test Case Management Practices

1. Incorporate testing into SDLC to reduce additional costs

Integrating test case management directly into SDLC reduces redundant QA efforts of aligning test cases with every change in the requirements. Moreover, you can detect defects early in the development stage when it is much easier and cheaper to fix.

Automated test case management software blends seamlessly with CI/CD pipelines, leading to faster release cycles.

2. Use iterative testing to create primary testing criteria

Adopting an iterative testing approach ensures your test cases reflect every functional change during the development phase. Running tests regularly in every sprint exposes edge cases early and helps refine your primary testing criteria as development progresses.

3. Implement version control

Version control helps you keep track of changes in test cases and related documents over time. As the test cases evolve with code changes, maintaining a history of modifications in your test case management system helps you revert to stable versions if a new iteration introduces unexpected errors.

Source: This article was originally published on TestGrid.