How Software Quality Testing Tools Save Money Over Excel

Change can be difficult. We comprehend.

But occasionally, following the beaten path can result in your team putting in more miles than anticipated in order to deliver high-quality, secure, and timely software to your clients.

 

Many software development teams come to this realization after transitioning from Excel to a test management platform as a component of their toolkit for software quality testing. The majority of testers and developers are being held back by using Excel, often in ways, they need to be made aware of. Excel is a tried-and-true approach to test management that might still make sense for some testers and developers.

 

Because of this, the Q-Pros team has compiled a list of the top five ways a test management platform outperforms Excel for your quality assurance (QA) program.

 

Let's start with the following:

 

The Allure of Including Excel in Your Toolkit for Software Quality Testing

Excel can often be modified and reorganized for test management, whether because it's a standard in the field or for other factors like cost or usability.

 

Excel is almost universal, has a rapid ramp-up time, and seems endlessly adaptable, especially when compared to other Microsoft and commercial programs, so it's simple to understand why. 

The weaknesses of Excel, however, rapidly become apparent if you realize what it takes to establish a robust test management platform that is capable of tracking a portfolio of development initiatives, providing the degree of data your team requires, and streamlining the administrative aspects of testing.

 

Five Ways a Test Management Platform Performs Better Than Excel

The correct tool not only makes a craftsman, artist, or developer's job more accessible but also helps form a superior final result, as any of them will tell you. Professionals can take more pride in their work and set it apart from the competition when they have the right tools.

 

The same is true for QA experts, who need to be knowledgeable about both project and people management in addition to software development and design's technical components. All of these things and more can be facilitated by using the appropriate tool, such as: 

 

Security

Every automated Excel spreadsheet must have macros. However, these unique pieces of functionality and code are frequently rife with errors, which can annoy your team or, worse yet, expose your work to hackers who target macros.

 

It is equally simple to mistakenly overwrite, delete, or transmit an Excel file to the incorrect recipients. Theft of Excel files could result in the misuse of your test data. Excel's password security could be more well-known for being robust. 

 

Automation

Utilize the built-in test case libraries, reporting features, and customized dashboards that come with a professional-grade test management platform to go beyond copy/paste and format pasting. Using industry-leading technologies, each stage of the testing process can be sped up by making it simple to import, export, and prepare test data.

 

Functionality

An internal Excel expert will probably be a cross between MacGyver and Steve Jobs, coming up with fresh ways to put complex test management ideas into a spreadsheet program. These tricky workarounds and delicate components might ultimately stifle innovation and make it harder for your team to monitor progress.

 

For instance, test management systems make it simple to save images and videos with test cases rather than forcing you to bulk up your file or paste links from other drives into a spreadsheet. Collaboration is now much more straightforward, and remediation is substantially accelerated.

 

Interoperability

Excel clearly has limitations when it comes to making it simple for teams to access critical features, exchange data, and convey updates, even for organizations that use SharePoint and Office 365. Things can become considerably more challenging when you include other platforms and devices, especially if you want to extend Excel's basic connectors with other software development tools.

 

Authentication and Auditing

Although Office 365 has improved authentication, Excel does not support version control or auditability without creating multiple copies of each document. Not only is it difficult to track who made what updates and when, but it is also challenging to handle traceability from requirement to sign-off and to roll back changes.