Quality assurance (QA) is crucial in game development, ensuring that the final product meets the expectations of both players and developers. Beyond just identifying and fixing bugs, QA involves documenting and reporting test results.

This documentation is key to communicating the game’s status, progress, and issues to stakeholders, while also boosting the QA team’s efficiency and effectiveness. Digitizing this documentation using online tools like https://scanner.biz/ is also essential for managing electronic copies. In this article, we will explore essential tools for creating and managing QA documentation and reporting in your game project.

Test Plan

A test plan is a comprehensive document that defines the scope, objectives, strategies, and methodologies of the QA process. It specifies which game aspects will be tested, the testing approaches to be used, the personnel involved, and the resources and tools required. By organizing and coordinating QA activities, a test plan sets expectations and criteria for the game’s quality. Test plans can be crafted using word processors, spreadsheets, or specialized tools like TestRail or TestLink.

Bug Tracker

A bug tracker is an indispensable tool for recording, tracking, and managing defects and issues discovered during testing. It enables the assignment of priorities, statuses, and responsibilities for each bug, and allows for the attachment of screenshots, videos, logs, and additional relevant information. Bug trackers also facilitate monitoring bug resolution progress and generating reports and metrics on game quality. Popular bug trackers in game development include Jira, Mantis, Bugzilla, and Trello.

Test Case Manager

A test case manager is a vital tool for creating, organizing, and executing test cases to verify a game’s functionality and performance. Test cases outline specific steps and expected outcomes for testing particular features or scenarios. This tool centralizes the storage and management of test cases, linking them to test plans and bug trackers. It supports both manual and automated execution of test cases, as well as documentation and reporting of results. Notable test case managers include TestRail, TestLink, TestLodge, and Zephyr.

And if you have some documentation preserved only in hard copy, you can use scanner.biz to scan a document and send it electronically.

Screen Capture Tool

A screen capture tool is essential for capturing and recording the visual and audio outputs of a game during testing. It helps illustrate and demonstrate identified bugs and issues, providing feedback and suggestions for improvements. These tools enable the creation and sharing of screenshots, videos, GIFs, and other media formats for QA documentation and reporting. Popular screen capture tools include Snagit, Camtasia, OBS Studio, and ShareX.

Log Viewer

A log viewer is a crucial tool for accessing and analyzing log files generated by the game engine or platform during testing. Log files contain details about events, errors, warnings, and messages within the game. A log viewer allows you to filter, search, and highlight log entries, as well as export and share them for QA documentation and reporting. It also aids in identifying and troubleshooting the root causes of discovered bugs and issues. Useful log viewers include LogViewPlus, LogExpert, glogg, and Logcat.