Five Handy Must-Have Tools for QA

There are so many articles over the Web debating and detailing tools for software testing. However, this article is not going to be about that. Let me take all you testers and wannabe testers a little out of the box by listing out some non-testing tools most of the testers use or should be using to make the QA life simpler.

1. Spreadsheets – A great tool to start with

This is a must-have and most used software among QAs for the following reasons:

The row-column grid format of a spreadsheet is a perfect fit for our needs. Say, it’s for a requirement list, detailed test cases or bug reports-these are just great!

The strong mathematical orientation renders itself for easy metric collection, calculations and graphical presentation.

A spreadsheet also can have multiple sheets so that we have all we need at one place, yet with a mechanism to cleanly organize information into different pages.

They are light weight-easily expandable and collapsible and user friendly with simple UI.

Many testing tools these days support the import of data from excel making the transition to test/bug management tools easy.

The most used spreadsheet softwares today are – Microsoft Excel (Desktop), Google Docs Spreadsheet (Online) ,Office 365 Excel (Online)

2. A Screen capturer & Annotator

“A picture is worth a thousand words”

As testers, we need substantial evidence to raise a defect. The more the details we provide to prove the point, the better. What could do more justice to a bug than a screenshot!

In this context, a tool that can canvas a memory efficient Image with all its details is a must have. If this tool even lets us mark and highlight the defect – even better!

A few popular of them that you can try are Snipping Tool (Desktop-Windows only), Fast Capture (Desktop), Paint.net (online), Jing (online).

In some cases we might have to go beyond the pictures and include a video clipping showing the exact sequence of steps executed and the results that were obtained on the application under test. Tools like CamStudio, Jing – screen recording softwares, might come in handy.

Nevertheless, tools like JIRA and HP ALM have an in-built mechanism to capture screenshot, but annotation missing for them is a con.

3. Losing a few pounds – Compressors

A captured video, few HD screenshots, documents to support a bug – Ah! That’s too much content for a mail.

The QA cult indulge in a lot of document sharing on a daily basis. For sending multiple files as a single (compressed) file or compressing a file for memory efficiency or when we need to open a file that is sent to us compressed, always compressors & de-compressors are brothers in arms.

A few standout names in this genre are – WinZip, Winrar, 7zip, Hamzter Free Zip Archiver, PeaZip.

If you are already not aware of any, give them a try and have one handy – chances are you would need them sooner than later.

4. Simple, but the Best – Sticky Notes

On personal notes, Sticky notes have revolutionized my QA life. This could be the best of inventions – they are handy, efficient, colorful and versatile. What’s more, out there are softwares that lets us keep sticky notes on our desktops. Great stuff!

To name a few – Evernote, OneNote, Simple Sticky Notes.

They are good reminders, to-do lists, checklists, clipboards and lot more…

5. Lastly – The Pen & Paper

“The palest ink is better than the best memory.”

May be a little old-fashioned, at times the old school way is still the best. When it comes down to actually taking phone conference notes or working up a list of the most interesting points of a book or may be listing out points from a video session, nothing beats an actual Notebook. I find that when I write something by hand, I barely need to refer to the notes again to remember it. Certainly not the case with a device.

But if you still prefer taking notes digitally, here are couple of options – Notepad, Penultimate (Mobile).

These tools might not make it to your resume or will they make a change in your career’s direction. But, sure they will make your daily work easier. Get your hands on them if you already haven’t, it will be worth the try – Happy Testing!