Evaluating Open Source Test Management Systems for Outsourced Testing Projects

Using test management tools may improve both the manageability of test projects and the effectiveness of testing, especially in outsourced testing projects. For the benefits of test management tools to materialize, however, the tool needs to meet the testing and reporting needs of each organization and project.

The best commercial test management tools are customizable but also, unfortunately, expensive, particularly for small organizations. The Open Source approach to software development has, in the past few years, been extended to a multitude of applications. In this Master?s Thesis, we examined the availability of viable open source alternatives to commercial test management tools to meet Qentinel's needs, particularly in outsourced testing projects.

We constructed a tool evaluation process based on best practice from literature. The main components of the process are preliminary activities, the collection and prioritization of requirements, tool evaluation and selection, and, finally, the comparison of the best candidate with its commercial alternative.

A test management tool suitable for outsourced projects should generally have good basic features for test management, covering key areas such as test design, execution and reporting. In addition, the tool should be compatible with a wide variety of platforms and technologies, have good data input and output mechanisms, and fulfill the basic security requirements.

Several open source test management tools were evaluated in relation to the requirements to see if any of them had the desired features. On the basis of the first evaluation round, two tools were chosen for a more detailed study. Unfortunately, it was found that there are currently no good open source alternatives to commercial tools in more demanding projects.