Test Execution Report Template¶

Version: 1.0
Purpose: This template provides a standardized format for reporting test execution progress, results, and metrics to stakeholders. It tracks testing activities, defect status, and overall quality assessment.
When to Use: During Test Execution (Phase 4) and Test Results Reporting (Phase 6). Generate reports daily, weekly, at sprint/phase completion, or as needed for stakeholder communication.

Usage Guidance¶

Who Should Use This Template?¶

• Test Leads managing test execution activities
• Test Managers reporting to stakeholders
• QA Teams tracking testing progress
• Project Managers monitoring quality status
• Scrum Masters reporting sprint testing results

How to Use This Template¶

1. Select Report Type: Choose appropriate frequency (Daily/Weekly/Sprint/Phase/Final)
2. Gather Data: Collect metrics from test management tools, defect tracking systems
3. Update Sections: Fill in relevant sections based on report type and audience
4. Add Analysis: Don't just report numbers - provide insights and context
5. Highlight Issues: Call attention to blockers, risks, and concerns
6. Make Recommendations: Provide actionable suggestions based on findings
7. Distribute: Share with appropriate stakeholders via agreed communication channels

Tips for Effective Test Reporting¶

• Be Timely: Report regularly and consistently according to schedule
• Be Accurate: Verify all numbers and facts before publishing
• Be Honest: Don't hide problems - surface issues early
• Be Clear: Use simple language and visual representations where possible
• Focus on Insights: Explain what the numbers mean, not just the numbers
• Provide Context: Compare against baselines, previous periods, or targets
• Be Actionable: Include recommendations and next steps
• Tailor to Audience: Adjust level of detail based on who will read the report

Report Type Guidelines¶

Daily Reports: - Keep brief (1-2 pages) - Focus on: Yesterday's progress, today's plan, blockers - Audience: Test team, immediate stakeholders - Sections to include: Executive Summary, Test Execution Summary, Top Defects, Blockers

Weekly Reports: - Moderate detail (3-5 pages) - Focus on: Week's progress, cumulative metrics, trends - Audience: Project team, stakeholders, management - Sections to include: All sections with weekly data and trend analysis

Sprint/Iteration Reports (Agile): - Comprehensive (5-7 pages) - Focus on: Sprint goals met, acceptance criteria, velocity impact - Audience: Scrum team, product owner, stakeholders - Include: Sprint-specific metrics, retrospective items, carry-over work

Phase/Milestone Reports (Waterfall): - Detailed (8-12 pages) - Focus on: Phase completion criteria, comprehensive analysis - Audience: All stakeholders, management, approval authorities - Include: Complete analysis, recommendations, go/no-go assessment

Final Test Report: - Complete and comprehensive (10-15 pages) - Focus on: Overall project testing summary, final quality assessment - Audience: Executive management, project sponsors, all stakeholders - Include: All sections, lessons learned, sign-off, archival quality

Report Information¶

Field Explanations: This section identifies the report and provides context.

Executive Summary¶

Purpose: Provides a high-level overview for stakeholders who may not read the entire report. Should be understandable by non-technical readers.

Overview¶

What to include: 2-3 paragraph summary covering: - What testing was performed during this period - Key results and findings - Overall status and confidence level - Critical issues or decisions needed

Tips: - Write this section last, after completing the detailed sections - Keep language non-technical - Focus on business impact and status - Be concise but complete

Example: "During Week 3 of testing (Feb 12-16), the QA team executed 247 test cases across the Shopping Cart and Checkout modules. We achieved an 88% pass rate with 30 defects discovered, including 3 high-severity issues that are currently blocking release. Test coverage has reached 82% of planned test cases. Overall testing is progressing but slightly behind schedule due to environment instability on Feb 14-15. The team recommends addressing the 3 high-severity defects before proceeding to UAT." [Brief summary of test execution activities and key results - 2-3 paragraphs]

Key Highlights¶

What to include: 4-6 bullet points highlighting the most important information. Include both positive achievements and concerns.

Use visual indicators: - ✅ for achievements and positive results - ⚠️ for concerns, risks, or items needing attention - 🔴 for critical issues or blockers

Examples: - ✅ Completed regression testing ahead of schedule (110% of plan) - ✅ Test automation coverage increased to 65% - ⚠️ Pass rate below target (88% actual vs 95% target) - ⚠️ 3 high-severity defects blocking UAT readiness - 🔴 Environment downtime impacted testing for 8 hours - ✅ [Positive highlight 1] - ✅ [Positive highlight 2] - ⚠️ [Concern or risk 1] - ⚠️ [Concern or risk 2]

Overall Status¶

Selection Guide: - 🟢 On Track: Testing progressing as planned, metrics meeting targets, no major concerns - 🟡 At Risk: Some concerns present, metrics slightly below target, active mitigation in place - 🔴 Critical: Significant issues blocking progress, metrics well below target, immediate action required - [ ] 🟢 On Track - No major issues, meeting targets - [ ] 🟡 At Risk - Some concerns need attention, slightly off target - [ ] 🔴 Critical - Significant issues blocking progress, well below target

Test Execution Summary¶

Purpose: Provides detailed metrics about test execution activities and results. This is the core data section of the report.

Test Execution Statistics¶

Field Explanations:

Key Metrics to Monitor: - Execution Progress: (Executed / Planned) × 100 - Target: 100% by end of cycle - Pass Rate: (Passed / Executed) × 100 - Target: typically 90-95% - Fail Rate: (Failed / Executed) × 100 - Lower is better - Block Rate: (Blocked / Executed) × 100 - Should be minimal; indicates environmental issues

Test Execution Progress¶

Purpose: Visual representation of testing progress toward completion.

How to create: - Calculate percentage: (Executed / Planned) × 100 - Show progress visually with bar or percentage - Include actual numbers for context

Example interpretation: - "85% complete means 425 of 500 test cases executed, 75 remaining" - "92% pass rate means 391 passed, 34 failed out of 425 executed"

Progress: [====================    ] 85%

Executed: 425/500 test cases
Pass Rate: 92%

Test Execution by Priority¶

Purpose: Shows testing focus and quality by priority level. High-priority tests should be executed first and have high pass rates.

What to analyze: - High-priority pass rate should be 95%+ before release - If high-priority fail rate is significant, release is at risk - Medium/Low priority can have slightly lower pass rates - Blocked high-priority tests are critical blockers

Tips: - Execute high-priority tests first - Report high-priority metrics separately in executive summary - If high-priority tests are blocked, escalate immediately

Test Execution by Module/Feature¶

Purpose: Identifies which areas of the application have been tested and their quality status.

What to analyze: - Modules with low pass rates need attention - Modules not yet tested represent coverage gaps - Modules with many blocked tests have environmental issues - Compare pass rates across modules to identify problem areas

Tips: - Prioritize testing critical/high-risk modules first - Low pass rates in core modules are release blockers - Track trends - is pass rate improving or declining over time?

Test Execution by Test Type¶

Purpose: Shows coverage across different testing types (functional, integration, performance, security, etc.).

What to analyze: - Ensure all planned test types are being executed - Different test types may have different pass rate expectations - Performance tests may take longer to execute - Security tests findings should be addressed with high priority

Common Test Types: - Functional: Core feature validation (target: 95%+ pass rate) - Integration: Component interaction testing (target: 90%+ pass rate) - Regression: Existing functionality verification (target: 95%+ pass rate) - Performance: Load, stress, scalability testing (target: 100% pass) - Security: Vulnerability and penetration testing (target: 100% pass)

Defect Summary¶

Purpose: Provides comprehensive view of defect status, trends, and impact. Critical for assessing release readiness.

Defect Statistics¶

Field Explanations:

Status Definitions: - New: Just reported, not yet reviewed or assigned - Open: Acknowledged and in queue for fixing - In Progress: Developer actively working on fix - Fixed: Developer completed fix, ready for retest - Retest: QA testing the fix - Verified: Fix confirmed working, defect will be closed - Closed: Fix verified, defect lifecycle complete - Reopened: Fix did not work, defect returned to developer

Severity Definitions: - Critical: System crash, data loss, security breach, complete feature failure - High: Major functionality broken, significant user impact - Medium: Partial functionality issue, workaround available - Low: Minor issues, cosmetic problems

What to analyze: - High number of New/Open defects indicates discovery rate exceeds fix rate - Critical/High defects in Open status are potential release blockers - High Reopened count suggests fix quality issues - Compare total defects to expected/baseline for similar projects

Defects by Module/Feature¶

Purpose: Identifies which areas of the application have the most defects, indicating code quality or complexity issues.

What to analyze: - Modules with high defect counts may need code review or refactoring - Concentration of critical/high defects in one module is concerning - Compare defect density (defects per test case or per KLOC) - Modules with zero defects may indicate insufficient testing

Tips: - Focus developer attention on high-defect modules - Consider additional testing for modules with low but concentrated severity defects - Track trends - are defects being fixed faster than new ones are found?

Top Critical/High Defects¶

Purpose: Highlights the most important defects that require immediate attention and stakeholder awareness.

What to include: - All Critical defects (should be listed individually) - Top 5-10 High severity defects - Brief description that non-technical stakeholders can understand - Current status and owner for accountability - Impact on release if not fixed

Tips: - Update this section frequently as defects are fixed - Provide ETA for fixes when available - Highlight any defects blocking release or UAT

Defect Trends¶

Purpose: Shows how defect status is changing over time, indicating testing progress and code quality trends.

What to track: - Discovery Rate: New defects found per day/week - Fix Rate: Defects fixed per day/week
- Closure Rate: Defects verified and closed per day/week - Reopen Rate: Percentage of defects that get reopened

Key Metrics:

Defect Discovery vs. Fix Rate: - If discovery rate > fix rate: Defect backlog is growing (concerning) - If fix rate > discovery rate: Backlog is shrinking (positive trend) - Discovery rate should decrease over time as testing matures

Defect Closure Rate: - Formula: (Closed Defects / Total Defects Found) × 100 - Target: Should approach 100% as testing completes - Low closure rate indicates verification bottleneck or fix quality issues

Defect Reopen Rate: - Formula: (Reopened Defects / Fixed Defects) × 100 - Target: < 10% is healthy, > 20% indicates quality problems - High reopen rate suggests need for better code review or testing

Example: "This week we found 28 new defects and fixed 35, reducing our active defect count from 67 to 60. Our closure rate is 73% (88 closed of 120 total found). Reopen rate is 8%, indicating good fix quality."

Test Coverage¶

Purpose: Measures how thoroughly the application has been tested against requirements and code.

Requirements Coverage¶

Field Explanations: - Total Requirements: All requirements identified for testing (from requirements document or backlog) - Requirements Tested: Requirements that have associated executed test cases - Coverage Percentage: (Requirements Tested / Total Requirements) × 100 - Requirements Not Tested: Gap that needs to be addressed

What to include: - Current coverage percentage - Breakdown by requirement priority or module - Gap analysis for untested requirements - Plan to close coverage gaps

Target Coverage: - High-priority requirements: 100% - Medium-priority requirements: 95%+ - Low-priority requirements: 80%+

Example: "We have tested 178 of 200 total requirements (89% coverage). All 45 high-priority requirements have test coverage. The 22 untested requirements are low-priority edge cases planned for next sprint."

Code Coverage (if applicable)¶

Purpose: Measures what percentage of code has been executed during testing (typically from automated tests).

Field Explanations: - Line Coverage: Percentage of code lines executed during tests - Branch Coverage: Percentage of decision branches (if/else) executed - Function Coverage: Percentage of functions/methods called during tests

Coverage Targets (vary by project): - Critical modules: 90%+ line coverage - Standard modules: 80%+ line coverage - UI/Integration: 70%+ coverage acceptable

Note: High code coverage doesn't guarantee quality - it shows what was executed, not what was validated. Combine with functional test metrics for complete picture.

• Line Coverage: [%] - Example: 76% (18,453 of 24,280 lines)
• Branch Coverage: [%] - Example: 68% (2,341 of 3,442 branches)
• Function Coverage: [%] - Example: 82% (1,876 of 2,287 functions)

Test Case Coverage by Requirement¶

Purpose: Shows traceability between requirements and test cases, identifying coverage gaps.

What to analyze: - Requirements with no test cases (coverage gap) - Requirements with single test case (may need more scenarios) - Requirements with many failing tests (quality concern) - Test cases not linked to requirements (waste or traceability issue)

Best Practice: Maintain a traceability matrix linking requirements to test cases to ensure complete coverage.

[Summary of requirements-to-test-case mapping status. Reference Traceability Matrix for details.]

Test Environment¶

Purpose: Documents environment status and its impact on testing. Environment issues are a leading cause of test execution delays.

Environment Status¶

Selection Guide: - [ ] Stable and available - Environment functioning properly, no significant issues - [ ] Minor issues, workarounds available - Some problems but testing can continue - [ ] Unstable, impacting testing - Frequent issues causing test delays or failures - [ ] Unavailable - Environment down, testing blocked

Environment Issues¶

What to document: - Specific problems encountered (database connectivity, service failures, etc.) - Impact level: High (blocks all testing), Medium (blocks some tests), Low (minor inconvenience) - Current status: Open, In Progress, Resolved - Resolution details or ETA

Tips: - Track environment downtime separately (see below) - Escalate high-impact environment issues immediately - Document workarounds to help team continue testing | Issue | Impact | Status | Resolution | |-------|--------|--------|------------| | [Issue description] | [High/Med/Low] | [Open/Resolved] | [Resolution or ETA] |

Environment Downtime¶

Purpose: Quantifies the impact of environment issues on testing productivity.

What to track: - Total downtime hours during reporting period - Root cause of downtime (infrastructure, deployment, configuration, etc.) - Impact on test schedule and coverage - Actions taken to prevent future downtime

Formula: Sum of all hours when environment was unavailable or unusable for testing

Example: "Environment was down for 8 hours total this week due to database migration (6 hours) and network outage (2 hours). This caused a 1-day delay in regression testing. Infrastructure team has implemented monitoring to prevent recurrence."

• Total Downtime: [Hours] - Example: "8 hours over 2 incidents"
• Impact on Testing: [Description] - Example: "Delayed completion of 35 test cases, pushed to next day"

Test Execution Details¶

Test Cycles Completed¶

1. [Cycle Name] - [Start Date] to [End Date]
2. Test Cases Executed: [#]
3. Pass Rate: [%]
4. Defects Found: [#]

Automated vs Manual Testing¶

Test Execution Timeline¶

[Insert Gantt chart or timeline visualization if available]

Risks and Issues¶

Current Risks¶

Current Issues/Blockers¶

Schedule Status¶

Planned vs Actual¶

Overall Schedule Status¶

• On Schedule
• Ahead of Schedule by [days]
• Behind Schedule by [days]

Resource Utilization¶

Team Effort¶

Resource Constraints¶

[Describe any resource limitations or needs]

Test Metrics¶

Purpose: Provides quantitative measures of testing effectiveness, efficiency, and quality. Use these metrics to identify trends and make data-driven decisions.

Quality Metrics¶

Metric Definitions and Formulas:

Defect Density: - Formula: Total Defects / Module Size (test cases, KLOC, story points, etc.) - Purpose: Normalizes defect count by size for fair comparison - Example: "Module A: 15 defects / 50 test cases = 0.3 defects per test case" - Benchmark: < 0.5 defects per test case is typical; varies by industry - Use: Compare modules, identify problem areas, track improvement over time

Defect Removal Efficiency (DRE): - Formula: (Defects Found in Testing / Total Defects Found) × 100 - Purpose: Measures testing effectiveness at finding defects before production - Example: "Found 95 defects in testing, 5 escaped to production: 95/(95+5) = 95% DRE" - Benchmark: > 95% is excellent, 85-95% is good, < 85% needs improvement - Note: Requires tracking production defects to calculate accurately

Test Effectiveness: - Formula: (Defects Found / Total Defects) × 100 - Purpose: Percentage of all defects found through testing - Interpretation: Higher is better, indicates thorough testing - Note: "Total Defects" includes those found in production

Test Efficiency: - Formula: Test Cases Executed / Time Period (per day, per week) - Purpose: Measures testing team productivity - Example: "Executed 425 test cases in 5 days = 85 test cases per day" - Use: Capacity planning, identifying process bottlenecks - Note: Balance efficiency with quality - faster isn't always better

• Defect Density: [Value] - Example: "0.28 defects per test case" or "2.1 defects per KLOC"
• Defect Removal Efficiency: [%] - Example: "94% (94 found in testing of 100 total)"
• Test Effectiveness: [%] - Example: "89% (123 found through testing / 138 total defects)"
• Test Efficiency: [Number] - Example: "67 test cases per day"

Productivity Metrics¶

Purpose: Measures team output and helps with capacity planning and process improvement.

Metric Definitions:

Average Test Cases per Day: - Formula: Total Test Cases Executed / Number of Working Days - Purpose: Team velocity measurement - Use: Sprint planning, schedule estimation, resource allocation - Factors affecting: Test complexity, automation level, environment stability - Example: "Executed 335 test cases over 5 days = 67 test cases per day"

Average Defects Found per Day: - Formula: New Defects Logged / Number of Testing Days - Purpose: Defect discovery rate - Trend: Should decrease as testing matures and quality improves - Example: "Found 28 new defects over 5 days = 5.6 defects per day"

Average Time per Test Case: - Formula: Total Testing Hours / Test Cases Executed - Purpose: Helps estimate testing effort for future projects - Use: Improve test case design, identify complex tests - Example: "450 hours / 335 test cases = 1.34 hours (80 minutes) per test case"

Achievements¶

Completed This Period¶

• [Achievement 1]
• [Achievement 2]
• [Achievement 3]

Test Automation Progress¶

• New automated tests added: [#]
• Total automated test suite size: [#]
• Automation coverage: [%]

Challenges¶

Challenges Faced¶

1. [Challenge 1]
2. Impact: [Description]

3. Resolution: [How it was resolved or plan to resolve]

4. [Challenge 2]

5. Impact: [Description]
6. Resolution: [How it was resolved or plan to resolve]

Action Items¶

Next Steps¶

Planned for Next Period¶

1. [Planned activity 1]
2. [Planned activity 2]
3. [Planned activity 3]

Focus Areas¶

• [Focus area 1]
• [Focus area 2]

Recommendations¶

1. [Recommendation 1]
2. Rationale: [Why this is recommended]

3. Expected Impact: [What will improve]

4. [Recommendation 2]

5. Rationale: [Why this is recommended]
6. Expected Impact: [What will improve]

Appendices¶

Appendix A: Detailed Test Results¶

[Link to detailed test case results]

Appendix B: Defect List¶

[Link to complete defect list]

Appendix C: Test Environment Details¶

[Link to environment configuration details]

Appendix D: Test Data¶

[Link to test data documentation]

Approvals¶

Best Practices for Test Execution Reporting¶

Creating Effective Reports¶

Do: - ✅ Report Regularly: Maintain consistent schedule (daily/weekly/sprint) - ✅ Be Accurate: Verify all numbers before publishing - ✅ Provide Context: Explain what metrics mean, don't just list numbers - ✅ Highlight Key Issues: Make critical problems visible to stakeholders - ✅ Be Honest: Surface problems early rather than hiding them - ✅ Include Trends: Show progress over time, not just point-in-time data - ✅ Make it Visual: Use charts, graphs, and progress bars when possible - ✅ Provide Recommendations: Include actionable next steps - ✅ Tailor to Audience: Adjust detail level based on readers - ✅ Update Promptly: Report reflects current status, not outdated information

Don't: - ❌ Report Numbers Without Context: Explain what 85% pass rate means for the project - ❌ Hide Problems: Stakeholders need truth to make informed decisions - ❌ Over-Complicate: Keep language simple and clear - ❌ Forget the Executive Summary: Many stakeholders only read this section - ❌ Skip Metrics Explanations: Not everyone understands QA terminology - ❌ Ignore Trends: One-time snapshots don't show the full picture - ❌ Report Vanity Metrics: Focus on meaningful metrics that drive decisions

Interpreting Metrics¶

Pass Rate Analysis: - > 95%: Excellent - Ready for release consideration - 90-95%: Good - Address remaining failures, likely ready - 80-90%: Concerning - Need to fix defects and retest - < 80%: Critical - Significant quality issues, not ready for release

Defect Trends: - Decreasing discovery rate + increasing fix rate: Positive - Testing maturing, quality improving - Increasing discovery rate + low fix rate: Negative - Backlog growing, delays likely - High reopen rate (> 20%): Warning - Fix quality issues, need better code review

Coverage Analysis: - 100% requirement coverage: Comprehensive, but verify test quality - < 80% requirement coverage: Significant gaps, incomplete testing - High code coverage but low requirement coverage: Testing implementation, not requirements

Communication Tips¶

For Different Audiences:

Executive Management: - Focus on: Overall status (Red/Yellow/Green), key risks, go/no-go recommendation - Keep it brief: 1-2 pages maximum - Use visuals: Charts and graphs over tables - Avoid jargon: Plain language explanations

Project Managers: - Focus on: Schedule impact, resource needs, blockers, risks - Include: Detailed metrics, trend analysis, action items - Be specific: Dates, owners, dependencies

Development Team: - Focus on: Defect details, module quality, specific issues - Include: Technical details, root causes, patterns - Provide: Actionable feedback for improvement

Test Team: - Focus on: Detailed test results, coverage gaps, process issues - Include: All metrics, test case status, environment issues - Provide: Guidance for next testing cycle

Metrics Dashboard Recommendations¶

Essential Metrics for Dashboard: 1. Overall test execution progress (percentage complete) 2. Pass/Fail/Blocked count and percentages 3. Defect count by severity 4. Open critical/high defect count 5. Test coverage percentage 6. Environment status indicator

Update Frequency: - Daily reports: Update at end of each testing day - Weekly reports: Update every Friday or Monday - Sprint reports: Update at sprint end - Dashboards: Real-time or daily automated updates

Common Pitfalls to Avoid¶

1. Over-Reporting: Too much data overwhelms stakeholders

2. Solution: Focus on key metrics and trends

3. Under-Reporting: Insufficient information for decision-making

4. Solution: Include all essential sections with adequate detail

5. Outdated Reports: Reporting old data that doesn't reflect current status

6. Solution: Establish regular reporting cadence and stick to it

7. No Analysis: Just presenting numbers without interpretation

8. Solution: Always explain what metrics mean and implications

9. Ignoring Trends: Only reporting current values

10. Solution: Include trend charts and period-over-period comparisons

11. Inconsistent Reporting: Changing format or metrics frequently

12. Solution: Standardize reporting format and maintain consistency

Related Documentation¶

Phase Documentation¶

• Phase 4: Test Execution - Test execution activities
• Phase 6: Test Results Reporting - Comprehensive reporting guidance

Related Templates¶

• Test Summary Report Template - Final comprehensive test report
• Defect Report Template - Detailed defect information
• Test Plan Template - Reference to test strategy and goals

Methodology Guides¶

• Agile Testing - Sprint execution reporting
• Scrum Testing - Daily standup and sprint review reporting
• Waterfall Testing - Phase completion reporting

End of Test Execution Report Template