Test Scenarios vs. Test Cases

As a QA professional, you’ll frequently create various test deliverables. Among them, understanding the difference between Test Scenarios and Test Cases is crucial. The way you organize these testing documents directly impacts test coverage, defect tracking, and the overall efficiency of your testing process. Getting it right ensures you identify issues early and deliver higher-quality software.

What are Test Scenarios?

Test Scenarios focus on the "what"—they are high-level overviews of the functionality or user journey that will be tested. They lay out the big picture and provide the framework for the entire testing process.

Test scenarios are typically created early in the testing cycle and are especially helpful when testing complex features involving multiple steps or user interactions. They help testers understand the main features or behaviours that need validation.

  • Key Features of Test Scenarios:
    • They provide a roadmap for testing, guiding testers on what to validate.
    • They focus on both positive and negative scenarios to ensure complete coverage.
    • Keep them simple and high-level, but comprehensive enough to cover all key aspects of functionality.
    • Often linked to user stories or use cases to provide context.

Test scenarios often don’t go into much detail about how the tests should be executed. That’s where Test Cases come in.

What are Test Cases?

Test Cases focus on the "how"—they are detailed, step-by-step instructions for validating a specific feature or functionality. While test scenarios provide the big picture, test cases break it down into precise actions and expected outcomes.

Test cases are essential for automated testing and regression testing. They ensure that every step of a feature is verified, often under various conditions. They are typically written after test scenarios to transform the high-level overview into actionable testing steps.

  • Key Features of Test Cases:
    • They are detailed, specifying the exact steps, test data, and expected results.
    • They are necessary for automated tests or to verify functionality under different conditions.
    • Written after test scenarios, they break down the broader scenario into smaller, actionable tasks.
    • Test cases should be maintained in a consistent format to make them easy to track and update when necessary.

Let’s Break It Down with an Example

To better understand the relationship between test scenarios and test cases, let’s look at an example:

Example User Story:

As Sally Subscriber, I want to sign up for the newsletter in one step.

Example Test Scenarios:

  • Users can enter a valid email address and receive a confirmation email upon submission.
  • Users cannot submit an invalid email address, and the system displays a relevant error message.
  • Users who try to submit an already-registered email address receive an appropriate message indicating they are already subscribed.
  • A test matrix that covers both valid and invalid email inputs.

These high-level scenarios would then be broken down into detailed test cases. Let’s take a closer look at how we’d create test cases for one of these scenarios.

Example Test Case for Scenario 1 (Valid Email)

  • Test Case ID: TC_01
  • Objective: Verify that users can sign up with a valid email address and receive a confirmation email.

Steps:

  1. Go to the home page.
  2. Scroll down to the subscription box.
  3. Click into the email input field.
  4. Enter {test-data: valid email} in the email input.
  5. Press the "Enter" key to submit the form.
  6. Verify that the UI shows a "Thank you" or confirmation message.
  7. Check that the user with {test-data: valid email} has been added to the user database.
  8. Confirm that the subscription service triggered the welcome automation.
  9. Verify that the confirmation email is received at {test-data: valid email}.

Expected Results:

  • Step 6: The UI should show a clear confirmation message.
  • Step 7: The email address should appear in the user database.
  • Step 8: The welcome email automation should trigger as expected.
  • Step 9: A confirmation email should be received by the user.

Handling Multiple Test Cases Under One Test Scenario

In some cases, a test scenario may cover multiple inputs or conditions that each require a different test case. For instance, in Scenario 2 (Invalid Email Inputs), we could have several types of invalid email formats, each of which might trigger a specific error message.

  • For each type of invalid email input (e.g., missing "@" symbol, invalid domain, etc.), you would write a separate test case. Each of these test cases would follow similar steps but with different inputs and expected results.

This allows you to validate that the system handles all types of invalid input correctly, each with its own tailored message to the user.

In Summary

Both Test Scenarios and Test Cases play critical roles in ensuring the quality of your software, but they serve different purposes.

  • Test Scenarios provide the high-level framework and help you plan what to test.
  • Test Cases break down the scenario into detailed, executable steps to validate specific functionality.

By understanding when and how to use each, you can ensure a more organized and efficient testing process. Whether you’re planning tests or executing them, getting the balance right between test scenarios and test cases will lead to better test coverage, fewer defects, and more reliable software.

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