QA Test Management Skill

Ensure consistent QA test organization, lifecycle management, and traceability.

Automatic Behaviors

When working with QA tests, automatically:

1. Apply naming conventions for QA test files
2. Maintain directory structure for test organization
3. Enforce status lifecycle transitions
4. Include required metadata in all test files
5. Link tests to PRD requirements for traceability
6. Track execution history with dates and results

Directory Structure

qa-tests/
├── draft/                    # Tests being written
│   └── QA-20250105-001-login.md
├── active/                   # Tests ready for execution
│   └── QA-20250104-002-checkout.md
├── executed/                 # Recently executed tests
│   └── QA-20250103-001-search.md
├── archived/                 # Historical tests
│   └── 2024/
│       └── QA-20241215-001-old-feature.md
└── screenshots/              # Test evidence
    ├── login-page.png
    └── checkout-success.png

File Naming Convention

QA-YYYYMMDD-###-feature-name.md

• QA - Prefix for all QA test files
• YYYYMMDD - Creation date
• ### - Sequential number for that day (001, 002, etc.)
• feature-name - Kebab-case feature description

Examples:

• QA-20250105-001-user-login.md
• QA-20250105-002-password-reset.md
• QA-20250106-001-checkout-flow.md

Status Lifecycle

DRAFT → ACTIVE → EXECUTED → ARCHIVED

Status	Description	Location
DRAFT	Being written, not ready for execution	qa-tests/draft/
ACTIVE	Ready to be executed by testers	qa-tests/active/
EXECUTED	Has been run, awaiting review/archival	qa-tests/executed/
ARCHIVED	Historical reference, no longer active	qa-tests/archived/YYYY/

Status Transitions

• DRAFT → ACTIVE: All test cases complete, metadata filled, reviewed
• ACTIVE → EXECUTED: Test has been run, execution log updated
• EXECUTED → ARCHIVED: Test cycle complete, moved to archive
• Any → DRAFT: Test needs rework (regression found, requirements changed)

Required Metadata

Every QA test file MUST include:

## Metadata
- **Test ID**: QA-YYYYMMDD-###
- **Feature**: [Feature name]
- **Application**: [App name]
- **URL**: [Test environment URL]
- **Created**: [YYYY-MM-DD]
- **Author**: [Name]
- **Status**: [DRAFT|ACTIVE|EXECUTED|ARCHIVED]
- **Priority**: [Critical|High|Medium|Low]
- **Estimated Time**: [X minutes]
- **PRD Reference**: [Link to PRD section if applicable]

Priority Definitions

Priority	Description	Execution Frequency
Critical	Core functionality, blocking issues	Every release
High	Important features, user-facing	Every sprint
Medium	Secondary features, edge cases	Monthly
Low	Nice-to-have, rare scenarios	Quarterly

PRD Traceability

Link QA tests to PRD requirements:

## Requirement Traceability

| Requirement | PRD Section | Test Cases |
|-------------|-------------|------------|
| User can login with email/password | PRD 3.1.1 | TC-001, TC-002 |
| Password must be 8+ characters | PRD 3.1.2 | TC-003 |
| Failed login shows error message | PRD 3.1.3 | EC-001, EC-002 |

Execution Log Format

Track test runs in each test file:

## Test Execution Log

| Date | Tester | Environment | Build | Result | Issues |
|------|--------|-------------|-------|--------|--------|
| 2025-01-05 | Jane | staging | v1.2.3 | PASS | None |
| 2025-01-04 | John | staging | v1.2.2 | FAIL | #123 |

Quality Checks Before Activation

Before moving a test from DRAFT to ACTIVE:

• All test cases have clear steps
• Expected results are specific and verifiable
• Prerequisites are documented
• Test data is specified (not "enter something")
• Screenshots placeholders identified
• Priority is assigned
• Estimated time is realistic
• PRD traceability added (if applicable)

Archival Rules

Archive a test when:

• Feature has been deprecated
• Test has been superseded by new test
• Test hasn't been executed in 6+ months
• Feature requirements have fundamentally changed

Archival metadata to add:

## Archive Information
- **Archived Date**: [YYYY-MM-DD]
- **Archived By**: [Name]
- **Archive Reason**: [Deprecated|Superseded|Stale|Requirements Changed]
- **Superseded By**: [New test ID, if applicable]

Metrics to Track

When listing or reporting on QA tests:

1. Coverage: Tests per feature/PRD
2. Execution Rate: % of active tests executed this period
3. Pass Rate: % of executed tests that passed
4. Age: Days since last execution
5. Flakiness: Tests that flip between pass/fail