Test Cases Are Dead, Long Live Checklists

For testers, creating tests is critical for a healthy testing process, so it is painful to see how boring writing test cases can be. In classical approaches, test cases are overcrowded with words—mostly project information that everyone already knows. What test cases don’t have is distilled information that allows testers to focus on the core functionality. Hipo has recently changed their approach to writing test documentation. Ömürden Cengiz believes that checklists are poised to take the throne from test cases, especially among startups and client-servicing shops where projects move much faster than in the rest of the industry. Clearing test cases of unnecessary words and steps and turning test cases into checklists added great value in their experience. Hipo shortened the documentation time and created a pool of checklists that testers, developers, and even customers can add to. Testing got stronger with increased technical knowledge and a user-side perspective. Integrating checklists with keyword-driven automation frameworks increases their ability to create tests in parallel.