AZANIR/qa-manual-test-designer

QA Manual Test Designer

Purpose

Design manual test cases and exploratory testing charters for human testers. Combines specification-based test models, risk-based prioritization, and persona-based testing to produce structured test case sets, exploratory session charters, and session report templates.

Trigger Phrases

• "Design manual test cases for [feature]"
• "Create exploratory testing charter" / "Exploratory charter for [area]"
• "Manual test design from [spec/requirements]"
• "Risk-based manual test prioritization"
• "Persona-based test scenarios" / "Test as [Novice/Power User/Admin]"
• "Session charter for [new feature/regression/security]"
• "Manual test case set with decision tables"
• "Exploratory session report template"

Specification-Based Test Models

Use these models to derive structured manual test cases per ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-4:

| Model | When to Use | Output | | ----- | ----------- | ------ | | Decision tables | Multiple conditions affecting outcome (validation, business rules) | One test case per rule column | | State transitions | Workflows, lifecycle states, session management | Test cases for valid/invalid transitions | | Scenario models | User journeys, use case flows | Main flow, alternate flows, exception flows | | Classification trees | Complex input spaces (user type × action × data state) | Pairwise or coverage-based combinations |

See references/test-design-techniques.md (from qa-testcase-from-docs) for technique details.

Exploratory Testing Session Charters

Exploratory charters guide time-boxed sessions without scripting every step. Each charter includes:

| Element | Description | | ------- | ----------- | | Mission statement | Clear, focused goal (e.g., "Explore checkout flow for guest users") | | Test areas | Scope: what to explore, what to skip | | Time-box | 25 / 45 / 90 min — choose based on scope and focus | | Notes template | Structured placeholders for observations, bugs, ideas | | Debrief structure | Post-session: what worked, what didn't, risks, follow-ups |

See references/exploratory-charters.md for templates by scenario (new feature, regression, security, usability).

Risk-Based Test Prioritization for Manual Testing

Prioritize manual test cases by risk when time is limited:

| Factor | High Risk | Medium Risk | Low Risk | | ------ | --------- | ----------- | -------- | | Business impact | Revenue, compliance, safety | Core workflows | Nice-to-have | | Change frequency | Recently changed, new code | Moderate changes | Stable | | Complexity | Multi-step, integrations | Moderate logic | Simple | | User exposure | High-traffic paths | Common paths | Rare paths |

Output: Prioritized test case list (P1/P2/P3) with rationale. Run P1 first when time-boxed.

Persona-Based Testing

Test from different user perspectives to uncover diverse defects:

| Persona | Focus | Typical Behaviors | | ------- | ----- | ----------------- | | Novice User | First-time, confused | Clicks randomly, ignores hints, gets lost | | Power User | Efficiency, edge cases | Keyboard shortcuts, bulk actions, advanced features | | Attacker | Malicious input, bypass | SQL injection, XSS, auth bypass, privilege escalation | | Admin | Configuration, permissions | Role setup, access control, audit logs | | Mobile User | Touch, small screen | Thumb reach, orientation, slow network |

See references/personas.md for detailed behaviors, goals, and test scenarios per persona.

Outputs

| Output Type | Format | Use Case | | ----------- | ------ | -------- | | Manual test case set | ID, Title, Steps, Expected Results, Priority | Structured execution | | Exploratory charter | Mission, areas, time-box, notes template | Session planning | | Session report | Findings, bugs, risks, follow-ups | Post-session debrief |

Workflow

1. Input: Spec, requirements, or feature description
2. Model selection: Choose test models (decision table, state, scenario, classification tree)
3. Derive test cases: Generate manual test cases with steps and expected results
4. Prioritize: Apply risk-based prioritization (P1/P2/P3)
5. Charters (optional): Create exploratory charters for areas needing exploration
6. Personas (optional): Add persona-based scenarios for coverage diversity
7. Output: Manual test case set + charters + session report template

Scope

Can do (autonomous):

• Design manual test cases from specs/requirements using decision tables, state transitions, scenario models, classification trees
• Create exploratory testing charters with mission, areas, time-box, notes template, debrief structure
• Apply risk-based prioritization to manual test cases
• Generate persona-based test scenarios (Novice, Power User, Attacker, Admin, Mobile User)
• Produce session report templates for exploratory debriefs
• Reference qa-diagram-generator for state/flow diagrams when needed

Cannot do (requires confirmation):

• Change scope or priority set by stakeholders
• Override organizational test policy or risk thresholds
• Assign testers or schedule sessions without approval

Will not do (out of scope):

• Write test automation code
• Execute tests or run exploratory sessions
• Modify production code or environments
• Approve releases or sign-offs

Quality Checklist

• [ ] Manual test cases have clear steps and measurable expected results
• [ ] Preconditions and postconditions specified where relevant
• [ ] Risk-based prioritization applied with documented rationale
• [ ] Exploratory charters include mission, areas, time-box, notes template, debrief structure
• [ ] Persona-based scenarios cover at least 2–3 personas when diversity is needed
• [ ] Session report template includes findings, bugs, risks, follow-ups
• [ ] No duplicate test cases for same scenario
• [ ] Traceability to requirements/specs where applicable

Troubleshooting

| Symptom | Likely Cause | Fix | | ------- | ------------ | --- | | Vague test steps | Spec lacks detail | Run qa-spec-writer first; add Given/When/Then | | Too many test cases | Exhaustive combination | Apply risk prioritization; focus on P1/P2 | | Charters too broad | Mission not focused | Narrow mission to single area or flow | | Persona scenarios generic | Persona not specific enough | Use references/personas.md for concrete behaviors | | Session reports incomplete | Missing debrief structure | Include: what worked, what didn't, risks, follow-ups | | Low coverage diversity | Only happy path | Add persona-based and negative scenarios |

References

| Topic | File | | ----- | ---- | | Exploratory charter templates | references/exploratory-charters.md | | Persona details & scenarios | references/personas.md | | Test design techniques | references/test-design-techniques.md (qa-testcase-from-docs) |