6 Reasons to Abandon Excel For Polarion QA

It still surprises me when I come across someone still relying on spreadsheets to manage their software testing projects.

I completely understand the attraction: it’s simple to use and relatively cheap. However, the key question to ask, “Do those reasons outweigh the negatives of using a spreadsheet for managing your key testing artifacts?”

Transition from Microsoft Excel and choose Polarion QA to manage your organization’s quality assurance, and let Polarion QA do the heavy lifting.  If you’re already using Excel, you’ll be able to easily import existing Test Cases and create Polarion Work Items that are easily tracked and managed.

To learn more about Polarion Software QA, we’re hosting an upcoming webinar (click banner to register):

1.   Collaboration
In Polarion QA, it’s easier for a team in your organization to work in a collaborative environment, even if they are located throughout the world.  Real-time communication is possible between Analysts, Engineers, QA Members, DevOps Teams, and more, using threaded discussions, Wikis, notifications, alerts, and other rich collaborative-based features.  Any Web-enabled device allows users to share documents and Test Cases, while assigning tasks from any location.

2.   Traceability
When there is no audit trail, it’s difficult to maintain an accurate asset count and keep data in sync.  The more rows of data in your spreadsheets, the higher likelihood of errors – traceability maintains audit, compliance, and regulatory control of all information.  Polarion QA establishes a comprehensive multi-directional traceability from requirements to testing and all other associated artifacts and is available instantly out of the box.

Proper traceability gives your testing ecosystem the ability to quickly respond when issues occur.  It’s more cost-effective to address quality issues as soon as they are spotted in project lifecycles.

3.   Integrations
Excel may allow for spreadsheets to be saved and exported in limited formats, but with typical software development projects, multiple tools are always being used – and some form of interaction is necessary.  It’s common practice to manually enter results from various software testing tools, but Polarion QA offers real-time visibility into those dynamic workflows.  This offers your team faster adjustment times, earlier issue detection, and rapid responses to all problems.

4.   Errors
Spreadsheets fail miserably when it comes to keeping track of process automation between Development and Operations.  There are errors when moving data, managing large quantities of data, along with system and software crashes.  Some of that likely sounds familiar to something you may have experienced. With Polarion QA, all activities are managed from a single source using user-defined project defined templates that minimize the chance of errors.

5.   Limited Functionality & Scalability
Unlike the limitations of Excel, Polarion QA allows full automation of running test scripts, smart workflow and reports results – managing all your testing activities.  Thereby ensuring a more productive testing environment and we hope improved quality – and report results in case of test failures.  It’s possible to manage work items and documents using workflows, seeing how and when they move based on user-controlled definable rules.  This makes it easier for internal team – and outside auditors.

Polarion QA has more than 100 different QA-centric integrations available for you to test – expanding functionality is as simple as visiting the Polarion Extension Portal.

6.   Browser-Based Interaction
Polarion QA is a 100% Web-based solution providing real-time visibility throughout the development lifecycle.  Starting immediately out of the box allows your team managers to assure quality easier and faster than trying to rely on Excel.  You have the ability to view any report online, real-time, even if you’re using mobile devices or export to PDF for offline access.

If you’d like to learn more, here is an introduction to Polarion QA video:

We’ve recently discussed what’s new and noteworthy in Polarion QA, and you have the opportunity to test it in your environment.  Using Polarion QA is ideal for QA managers, Test Managers and Testers, with the following benefits:

•  Core functionality
•  Audits, metrics and reports
•  Change & configuration management
•  Requirements Management
•  Test & Quality Management
•  Issue & Risk Management

If you would like to test Polarion QA, please click here to try it now.