Mind Maps for Rapid Testing

As a Quality Engineer at Bigcommerce, I like to participate in my project right from the initial phases, including going to brainstorming sessions and planning phases.

Of course during this, I like to jot down all the areas that need to be tested, especially the high priority testing areas of the project.

Normally, a project planning or brainstorm meeting would end with a few notes in my computer explaining what areas I need to focus on testing, but lately, I’ve been trying a new process.

Instead of just taking notes, I’ve replaced the notepad with a mind-map sheet before going into the meeting.

When I started doing this, I noticed how the creative side of my brain kept joining the dots of the project and by the time I stepped out of the discussion, I had a rough mind-map of the entire test plan for the project!

I call this mind-map the “Rapid Test Document”. The best part is, because it’s so easy to read, the team can review it right away. If the team feels the need to modify it, that can be done right away, too.

Having a mind map makes writing the detailed test case document way easier as well, and that’s why I call it a Rapid Test Document.

We prefer the Rapid Testing technique because of the ease of its on-the-go creation, instant review & the agility when creating a detailed test document.

For medium to large sized projects, the Rapid Test Document is considered an Intermediate step for the eventual full-fledged test case document.

However, for a mini project, a time-consuming detailed test case document can be skipped altogether and the Rapid Test Document can serve as the final test document. Projects like this involve testing a minor production issue, a small feature being introduced in the application, or a minor enhancement.