Test Planning, Execution and Analytics

This course is part of Microsoft Junior QA/Software Tester Professional Certificate

Instructor: Microsoft

Access provided by SN Patel Institute of Technology & Research Centre

12 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

9 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

12 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Intermediate level

Recommended experience

9 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Analyze requirements to write high-quality, risk-based test cases and scenarios.
Provision test data, execute suites, and refactor redundant cases to optimize execution.
Calculate and visualize critical test metrics like pass-rate and defect density.
Perform Root Cause Analysis to identify and eliminate recurring defect patterns.

Details to know

Shareable certificate

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Assessments

17 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

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This course is part of the Microsoft Junior QA/Software Tester Professional Certificate

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Professional Certificate.

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There are 12 modules in this course

Advance your QA practice by learning to strategically plan, execute, and measure testing efforts with precision. In this course, you will transition from executing tests to designing rigorous, risk-based test strategies that ensure comprehensive software coverage. You will build strong skills in creating high-quality test cases, managing test data provisioning, and optimizing existing test suites to eliminate redundancy and improve efficiency. Beyond execution, you will gain proficiency in data-driven quality management—calculating critical metrics such as pass-rates and defect density, and visualizing insights through professional dashboards.

Learn how to break down a user story into testable scenarios. You will use a Requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM) to ensure every requirement has corresponding test coverage and no feature is left untested.

What's included

2 videos3 readings1 assignment

2 videosTotal 7 minutes

The Danger of Missing Coverage4 minutes
Mapping Scenarios in an RTM4 minutes

3 readingsTotal 24 minutes

Deconstructing Requirements into Scenarios5 minutes
The Requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM)4 minutes
Hands-on Activity: Populate the Requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM)15 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 5 minutes

Knowledge Check: Scenarios and RTM5 minutes

A test scenario is just an idea; a test case is the exact recipe. Learn the industry standards for authoring clear, reproducible test cases inside Jira using Zephyr.

What's included

1 video3 readings1 assignment

Tests cannot run without data. Learn how to provision valid and invalid datasets—such as test user accounts and edge-case inputs—to ensure your test cases are executable.

What's included

3 videos2 readings2 assignments

3 videosTotal 12 minutes

The Test Data Bottleneck4 minutes
Attaching Test Data Parameters5 minutes
Using Shared Parameters in Azure DevOps3 minutes

2 readingsTotal 20 minutes

Strategies for Designing Effective Test Data5 minutes
Hands-on Activity: Create a Dataset15 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 20 minutes

Knowledge Check: Test Data5 minutes
Graded Quiz: Plan and Design Tests15 minutes

Learn how to treat an AI like a Junior QA assistant. You will craft precise prompts to transform vague user stories into structured Gherkin (BDD) scenarios and step-by-step test cases.

What's included

1 video3 readings1 assignment

Generating test data manually is slow; using real user data is a privacy violation. Learn how to use GenAI to instantly produce massive, realistic, and privacy-compliant synthetic datasets.

What's included

3 readings2 assignments

Learn how to officially "sign off" on a release. You will navigate completed test cycles in Zephyr and synthesize that raw data into a digestible Test Summary Report for your QA Lead and Product Owner.

What's included

2 videos3 readings1 assignment

2 videosTotal 8 minutes

The Importance of Sign-Off4 minutes
Locating Test Execution Data in Zephyr for Jira Cloud3 minutes

3 readingsTotal 22 minutes

Anatomy of a Test Summary Report4 minutes
ADO Translation (Optional): Execution Reports in Azure DevOps3 minutes
Hands-on Activity: Publish a Test Summary Report15 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 5 minutes

Knowledge Check: Summary Reports5 minutes

Test suites grow over time, leading to bloated, slow execution cycles. Learn how to audit an existing regression suite in Jira/Zephyr to identify and merge redundant test cases. This maintenance activity, done during downtime, can save the team hours of effort.

What's included

2 videos2 readings2 assignments

Learn the fundamental mathematics of QA. You will understand how to calculate exactly how much of a feature is passing, how much is actually covered by tests, and how buggy a specific module is (Defect Density).

What's included

1 video3 readings1 assignment1 ungraded lab

Data is useless if no one can read it. Learn how to transform your raw metrics into a clean, professional dashboard using Microsoft Excel PivotCharts so you can clearly communicate feature health during Sprint Reviews.

What's included

3 readings2 assignments

Learn the famous 5-Whys methodology. You will practice digging past the superficial UI symptom of a bug by opening your browser's DevTools to find the true technical failure underneath.

What's included

2 videos1 reading1 assignment1 ungraded lab

Once you find the root cause, you must communicate it. Learn how to translate your technical 5-Whys investigation into a formal Root Cause Analysis (RCA) document and open actionable improvement tickets in Jira.

What's included

1 video3 readings2 assignments

Synthesize your advanced planning and analytical skills as a Junior QA Tester. In this project, you will use Generative AI to design test cases and synthetic data for a new feature. You will upload and execute those tests in Zephyr, investigate a seeded technical failure using browser DevTools, and present your findings via a Root Cause Analysis and an Excel metrics dashboard.