Zephyr Announces Native Test Management for JIRA 5
by Francis Adanza • February 22, 2012 • JIRA, Zephyr for JIRA • 24 Comments
Zephyr for JIRA allows Atlassian customers to add testing to the overall planning, development, bug tracking and reporting process inside JIRA 5.
Fremont, Calif. (Feb 22, 2012) – Based on the success of their award-winning Zephyr Enterprise Edition software, Zephyr – the leader in real-time test management – is proud to announce Zephyr for JIRA, a brand new test management application, built exclusively for the new JIRA 5 Platform. Advancing Atlassian’s vision of helping transform the teams building great software, Zephyr for JIRA demonstrates how easy it is for partners to build sophisticated applications on the JIRA 5 platform. Zephyr for JIRA offers JIRA 5 users a native test management solution that looks and works exactly like their favorite project tracking tool. The new application helps software development and testing teams become more agile, productive and connected.
Atlassian’s JIRA 5 platform features an expanded plugin API and improved REST APIs. Third-party software vendors can now more easily integrate with JIRA and create products that are seamlessly compatible with future JIRA releases, accelerating software development and saving companies time and money. JIRA 5 allows remote applications to create and update issues with links back to their own applications. Third-party applications can also define new events to add to JIRA activity streams in order to keep users up-to-date with what is happening in other systems.
“Together we provide a single online destination for product teams to dream, plan, build, test and launch great software,” said Ken Olofsen, Group Product Marketing Manager for JIRA at Atlassian. “Zephyr for JIRA is a perfect example of what we are striving to achieve by making it easier for partners to integrate with our platform so that they can introduce new capabilities to our customers. It’s a win-win for everyone in our ecosystem.”
Zephyr for JIRA completes end-to-end project management in JIRA 5 by adding testing to the overall planning, development, bug tracking and reporting process. Project teams who have standardized on JIRA and need to integrate testing into their workflow will find Zephyr for JIRA to be an ideal solution. The solution makes it easy to organize, execute track and report on testing alongside tasks, requirements, tests and defects. Extending the powerful customizability of the JIRA 5 platform, Zephyr for JIRA gives project teams, traceability, quality metrics and test progress, all in the same JIRA UI for an affordable price.
“Combining the power and simplicity of JIRA 5, Zephyr for JIRA gives organizations the flexibility to design, develop and test software from a single platform,” says Samir Shah, CEO for Zephyr. “We worked very closely with Atlassian to leverage the power of the JIRA 5 platform in creating this brand new product. Existing JIRA customers will experience immediate benefits in quality, visibility and productivity gains.”
Key features
- Create and organize tests – Create, view, edit and clone testcases. Organize by project, version, components and labels. Add detailed test steps, data, expected results and attach files and/or screenshots.
- Link to requirements – Link to any issue type: epics, stories, tasks, new features, etc. Track test coverage and add attachments as files and/or screenshots.
- Plan test execution cycles – Create execution cycles for any iteration, track test execution progress, and execute tests for any cycle.
- Execute tests – Execute tests either ad-hoc or from test cycles, file new bugs or link existing ones, add attachments and comments or execute the same test multiple times or re-execute it.
- File bugs – File JIRA bugs directly from test execution screens, automatically link bugs to a test, and view all bugs associated with a test across all executions.
- Track quality metrics – View quality OpenSocial gadgets in test dashboards, test distribution and execution, metrics and customizable reports.
Availability & Pricing
- Zephyr for JIRA is now available on the Atlassian Plugin Exchange. Pricing starts at $10. Learn more.
- JIRA 5 is available both as a Download or OnDemand. Pricing starts at $10. Learn more.
About Atlassian
Atlassian products help innovators everywhere plan, build and launch great software. More than 17,000 large and small organizations – including Citigroup, eBay, Netflix and Nike – use Atlassian’s issue tracking, collaboration and software-development products to work smarter and deliver quality results on time. Learn more at www.atlassian.com.
About Zephyr
Zephyr is a leading provider of on-demand, real-time enterprise test management solutions, offering innovative applications and unparalleled, metrics based visibility via real time dashboards into the quality and status of software projects. The feature rich solution addresses today’s dynamic and global needs across a variety of industries including finance, healthcare, mobile, IT services, and enterprise software. Zephyr’s global customers experience improved productivity, faster time to market and dramatic cost savings. For more information, please visit www.getzephyr.com.
Any update on Automation suites call through an API..When is the next release expected for Zephyr for JIRA and what are the features?
Thanks for the inquiry about features and timelines for the next releases of Zephyr for JIRA. We are constantly soliciting feedback from our customers as it drives the product roadmap. I’m sorry that I can’t offer more specifics around the upcoming release or exactly when it will be available.
We are also interested in reporting pass/fail status in JIRA/Zephyr from our Automated Tests. I understand that Zephyr for JIRA does not currently provide an API for this. However, could you please indicate if you have it in the Zephyr for JIRA Roadmap, and if it is the case, in what time frame would it become available. In the meantime would it be possible to receive links to the “make-shift automation solutions” you are referring too?
In regards to the above question about an API, in the future would this be added, and if so when? A way of talking to the Test issue in Jira to set the execution to pass/fail is functionality that would greatly increase our productivity and is a necessary requirement.
This is the only thing holding us back from a purchase.
Ah, I didn’t read the rest of the comments.
You say an api for Zephyr for Jira is on the roadmap, any idea of a timeframe?
Thanks.
Would also be interested in an API to streamline and customize things. The rest looks promising.
Hey Zephyr any chance we can get a response to our question with regards the JIRA/Zephyr API Pass/Fail for Automated Tests? Patrick, Stephen and myself work for a large multinational. Unless we get a response very soon, we’ll be forced seek an alternative Test Case Mgmt solution.
A future version of Zephyr for JIRA will provide well documented API access to its data. This is currently on its product roadmap and we hope to release it in the next couple of releases. Stay tuned.
As well, feel free to examine the APIs we have available for our Zephyr Enterprise Edition. http://developer.yourzephyr.com/api/index.php
When I create a test case, in the Fixed Versions field, will I be able to see a list of versions that are defined in all projects in JIRA?
Hi Richard,
Zephyr testcases in JIRA are a native JIRA issue types and inherit many of its properties. This includes the “Fixed Versions” field. What ever appears in “Fixed Versions” for your other issues will also appear in Zephyr testcases.
Kind Regards,
Chris
Is it possible to organize test cases into categories? This is a must when you are dealing with complex software that needs to be tested.
E.g. :”initialisation and startup”, “communications”,”User interface”, etc.
Organizing tests in Zephyr for JIRA is best done by using Labels, Components, and Versions.
Organizing tests by labels gives the test organizer the ability to filter tests using search filters and save these filters to be used when making cycles or just creating reports. Labels stay with the test through your JIRA instance, so these filters will work on other projects with these tests. Additionally, tests may have multiple filters to allow you to add them to different cycles without a hitch.
Tests in a project-level can also be organized by Components. Additionally, project-level organization can be done with version.
More information on this can be found on our Zephyr for JIRA documentation that details how to organize tests in JIRA:
https://zephyrdocs.atlassian.net/wiki/display/ZTD/Organize+Tests
I am also interested if tests could be automated, by means of an API or otherwise. TestRail can do this.
Our Zephyr for JIRA product does not currently support the API framework but is on our roadmap. For in-depth API functionality, you may find our Zephyr Enterprise Edition to your liking (which also integrates with JIRA). Please check our our developer zone for more information on the API functionality: http://developer.yourzephyr.com
Do you have any idea of date for automation tool integration Zephyr for JIRA
No concrete dates yet but its on our roadmap. Watch our blogs and/or community forums for announcements.
Do you have any new information regarding a date for test automation support in Zephyr for JIRA? I may have missed the information on your forums and announcements. This feature is a key factor in our decision to go or not to go for the product.
A future version of Zephyr for JIRA will provide well documented API access to its data. This is currently on its product roadmap and we hope to release it in the next couple of releases. Stay tuned.
Patrick,
If APIs are a driver in your decision making, do take a look at another one of our products. The Zephyr Enterprise Edition has full API capabilities today. You can review the APIs here: http://developer.yourzephyr.com/api/index.php
Kind Regards,
Chris
Since “Tests” are a standard JIRA issue-type, the REST APIs available in JIRA will work for creating, searching and viewing tests. When it comes to updating test executions, creating test cycles, etc., we are not yet officially supporting those APIs. This is on our roadmap for an upcoming release.
We currently have an Enterprise Edition which support API calls to report pass/fail status back to the testcases. This Enterprise Edition offers a strong integration with JIRA.
A list of all our products, including details on the Enterprise Edition, is available here:
http://www.getzephyr.com/zephyr/zephyr_test_management_overview.php
More information about our Enterprise Edition APIs can be read here:
http://developer.yourzephyr.com/api/index.php
Kind Regards,
Chris
An API for the test cases is interesting, but an API to report on test execution is a game changer. Right now we’re struggling to find something that integrates tightly with JIRA and supports things like test cycles, configurations,etc. If Zephyr for JIRA had 1) Different configurations for test cycle instances, 2) An API for reporting status from automated tests and 3) JIRA-level flexibility to be able to add custom fields to test cases (such as test script location, , it would be an easy decision to buy in.
These are all great points and Zephyr for JIRA is still a young product which we are always looking to improve. Most of these are features current and prospective users have asked for and we are looking into and still use Zephyr for JIRA. If you are interested in what our other veteran Zephyr products can do, please check them out here: http://www.getzephyr.com/zephyr/zephyr_test_management_overview.php
Is there a way to kick off automated tests or is there any type of API that can be used to report pass/fail status back to zephyr for jira from an automated script?
Currently, there is no inherent way to kick off automated tests nor a way to report back a pass or fail to Zephyr for JIRA through an API. I believe a select few of our users have created make-shift automation solutions on their own using their own means but beyond that there is no automation. Our Zephyr Enterprise and Communtiy editions do have full API and automation capabilities, which you can find here: http://www.getzephyr.com/zephyr/zephyr_enterprise/automation.php