BriefSpec Test Cycles Guide

User Guide

BriefSpec

1. Introduction

Test Cycles in BriefSpec are scheduled testing events that bring test cases, teams, and testers together for structured execution. A Test Cycle defines what needs to be tested, who will test it, and when — giving test managers full visibility into execution progress and testers a clear, focused queue of work.

This guide explains how to create and manage Test Cycles, assign teams and testers, clone cycles, run test cases, and track results through to completion. It is written for Test Managers, Project Managers, and Testers.

What you can do with Test Cycles

• View all Test Cycles for a project in a searchable, filterable list.
• Create a Test Cycle using a guided four-step wizard.
• Organise Test cases into Sections within a cycle.
• Clone a Published or Completed Test Cycle to create a new Draft cycle with selected structure and assignments.
• Assign Teams to Sections and individual Testers to Test Cases within those Sections.
• Track execution progress — passed, failed, pending — in real time.
• Log Defects directly from a Failed test case.
• Download the test cycle instructions file for offline reference.
• Download the Test Cycle contents in an Excel file

2. Accessing Test Cycles

Test Cycles are managed at project level.

1. Sign in to BriefSpec and open Home.
2. Select the project you are working on.
3. In the left hand side menu, click the Test Cycles

Note:  Everything on this tab applies only to the project you have open. If you do not have permission to view Test Cycles, the tab may not be visible.

3. The Test Cycles Screen

The Test Cycles screen shows all cycles for the current project in a table. Each row summarises one cycle.

Columns you will see

Column	What it means
Test Cycle Name	The name given to the cycle when it was created.
Status	Current lifecycle status: Open, In Progress, Completed, or Closed.
Assigned Test Cases	Number of test cases added to this cycle.
Executed Test Cases	Number of test cases that have been run.
Assigned To	Testers or teams assigned to this cycle.
Date Range	The planned execution window for the cycle.
File	Testing Instructions file

Row actions menu

Open the options menu (⋮) on any row for common actions:

• Edit — open the wizard to update cycle details, teams, or sections.
• Clone Test Cycle — create a new Draft cycle from a Published or Completed cycle (requires Add Test Cycles privilege). See Cloning a Test Cycle.
• Assign / Reassign Testers — open the Testers Execution List for a Published cycle and update tester mappings on individual Test Cases (requires Assign/Reassign Testers privilege).
• Delete — permanently remove the cycle (subject to role permissions).

Search and Filters

• Global Search — type keywords to filter rows by cycle name.
• Advanced Filters — build rules on fields such as Test Cycle Name, Status, Created By, Start Date, End Date, and Assigned To. Combine rules with AND or OR.

Note:  Active filters appear as chips above the list. Your filter choices are remembered while you work in the same project session.

User can click on the download icon and download the Test Cycle as an Excel file.

4. Test Cycle Status

Each Test Cycle moves through a lifecycle.

Status	Meaning
Draft	Cycle has been created and is in Progress but not finalized
Published	Changes finalized. Testing assignments shared and Testing can start.

5. Creating a Test Cycle

Click the + (Add Test Cycle) button on the toolbar to open the four-step creation wizard.

Step 1 — Test Cycle Details

Enter the basic information for the cycle:

• Name — a clear, descriptive title for the cycle (required).
• Phase — optionally link the cycle to an In Progress project phase.
• Start Date and End Date — the planned execution window (required).
• Instructions — free-text guidance for testers (optional, can be added later).
• Instructions File – File with instructions to be used for test cycle execution

1. Fill in the required fields.
2. Click Next to save the cycle and proceed to Step 2.

Note:  The cycle is auto saved as a draft as soon as you click Next on Step 1. You can return to it later to complete Teams and Sections.

Step 2 — Teams

Organise your testers into named Teams. Teams are then assigned to Sections in Step 3.

• Click Add Team to create a new team and give it a name.
• Add team members from the Project user list.
• Add as many teams as needed. Each team can contain multiple members.
• Use the Edit (pencil) icon to rename a team or change its members.
• Use the Delete (trash) icon to remove a team.

Note:  Teams created here are specific to this Test Cycle and do not appear in other Test Cycles. Only members of the Team assigned to a Section can be selected as Testers for Test Cases in that Section.

Step 3 — Sections

Sections group Test Cases within the cycle. Assign a Team to each Section first, then assign individual Testers from that Team to each Test Case (script) in the Section.

1. Click Add Section to create a new section and give it a name.
2. Assign a Team to the Section.
3. Add test cases (scripts) to the Section using the test case selector.
4. Assign Testers to each Test Case: use the Testers cell on a row, or select multiple rows and choose Assign Testers. Modes include Replace Testers, Add Testers, and Remove Testers.
5. Track progress with Assignment X/Y assigned on the Section; cells may show No testers assigned or N Tester(s) assigned.
6. Unassign Testers from a Test Case before removing that Test Case from the Section.
7. When adding Test Cases, you can assign Testers in the same flow; a Test Case assignee may be inherited if that person is on the Section Team.
8. Repeat for as many Sections as required.

• A section can contain test cases from any epic or module in the project.
• Each Tester sees the Test Cases specifically assigned to them in their execution queue (not necessarily every Test Case in the Section).
• Only published Test Cases are available
• You can Edit a Section details
• To Delete a Section, delete the Test cases in it and then delete the Section

Step 4 — Preview

Review the complete cycle configuration — details, teams, and sections — before finishing.

1.  Verify that all teams, sections, and tester assignments are correctly configured. Preview shows Assigned and Unassigned Test Cases.

2.  Click Launch to publish the cycle and make it visible to testers. Launch may be blocked until Testers are assigned to all Test Cases in Sections.

Testers will be notified of their Test Case assignments in a Test Cycle by email once a Test Cycle is published.

6. Cloning a Test Cycle

Use Clone Test Cycle to create a new Draft Test Cycle from an existing Published or Completed cycle. Cloning copies selected cycle structure into the new cycle; it does not create new master Test Cases in the Test Cases library.

When cloning is available

• Open the Test Cycles list, open the row options menu (⋮) on a Published or Completed cycle, and choose Clone Test Cycle.
• You need the Add Test Cycles privilege. Clone is not available for Draft cycles.

Clone wizard steps

• New Cycle Details — enter the new cycle name, dates, and Clone Options.
• Preview — review teams, sections, unique Test Cases, and total executions that will be copied; you can exclude individual Test Cases.
• Create Clone — save the new Draft cycle. Use Back to Test Cycles or Open Cloned Cycle when finished.

Clone Options

• Copy Teams & Members — copies cycle teams and their members.
• Copy Sections & Test Cases — copies section layout and linked Test Cases.
• Copy Tester Assignments — copies per–Test Case tester mappings (requires Teams and Sections). Execution status on copied rows resets to Not Started.
• Copy Instructions — copies cycle instructions from the source.
• Select at least one clone option to continue. If you plan to link the new cycle to a Phase later, prefer only Teams & Members and Copy Instructions.

Optional filters

• With Copy Sections & Test Cases enabled, you can Filter Test Cases by Pillar & Epic, Assigned Tester, and/or Execution Status (Not Started, In Progress, Pass, Fail).
• Only matching Test Cases are copied; empty sections after filtering are omitted.

Note:  The new cycle is always created as Draft. Publish it from the creation wizard Preview (Launch) when teams, sections, and tester assignments are ready.

7. Editing a Test Cycle

Open the row menu (⋮) and choose Edit to reopen the wizard. You can update:

• Test Cycle name, dates, phase, and instructions (Step 1).
• Team membership — add or remove team members (Step 2).
• Sections — add, rename, or delete sections; change Test Cases, Teams, or tester assignments using Assign Testers (Replace / Add / Remove) on Step 3.
• After the cycle is Published, use Assign / Reassign Testers from the Testers Execution List to change who is assigned to a Test Case without rebuilding the cycle.
• Assign / Reassign may be disabled when the cycle is Completed, when the Test Case was moved read-only, or when open defects block reassignment (except for Not Started cases).

Note:  Do not remove a section that is currently being executed.

8. Executing Test Cases (Tester View)

Testers see the Test Cycles and Test Cases assigned to them. The execution workflow is as follows:

1. Open the Test Cycles tab and locate your assigned cycle.
2. Click View to open the cycle summary.
3. Open the Section that contains your assigned Test Cases.
4. Click on the icons in the Action column to start execution.
5. Click on Start to begin execution of a test case
6. Click on Resume to continue testing
7. Click on Restart is you want to start all over again
8. Click on Re-Verify if a Test case that has been executed needs to be executed again
9. For each test step, review the expected result and enter the actual result.
10. Set the step status: Passed, Failed
11. User can capture notes for every step during execution and Feedback at the end of test case execution as well
12. If a step fails, log a Defect before proceeding.
13. Repeat for all steps, then close the panel and move to the next test case.

Step Statuses

Status	Meaning
Passed	The step produced the expected result.
Failed	The step did not produce the expected result. Log a defect if required.

Previous Executions popup (on Start)

When a tester clicks Start on a Test Case in a Test Cycle, BriefSpec first checks whether that same Test Case already has prior executions in the cycle.

• No prior executions → execution opens normally.
• One or more prior executions → a short advisory popup appears before execution begins (button may show Checking previous executions… while it loads).

What the popup shows

• Test Case ID and title
• An Execution insight summary, e.g. how many previous executions, how many testers, and whether any have feedback or linked defects
• A searchable table of prior runs: Tester, Result (Pass/Fail), Defect ID (if any), Feedback (if any), Last Updated
• Totals at the bottom: Total / Pass / Fail

What the user can do

• Cancel — close the popup and stay on the list
• Proceed to Execution — continue into the normal Start flow

This is guidance only. It does not block Start if history cannot be loaded, and it does not copy or overwrite results automatically—it helps the tester review earlier outcomes (and defects/feedback) before they begin.

9. Logging Defects

A Defect can be logged directly from a failed test case within the execution panel.

1. Mark a test step as Failed.
2. Click Create Defect (shown when a step is failed).
3. Fill in the defect title and any additional details.
4. Save the defect. It is linked to the test case and the Test Cycle.

Note:  If your project settings require mandatory defect creation for failed steps, you will not be able to proceed until a defect is logged.

Defect details can be seen alongside the failed Testcase

Logged defects appear in the Defects section of the project and can be tracked through to resolution.

10. Attestation

Some projects require testers to attach an attestation file — a screenshot or signed document — as evidence that a test was executed correctly.

• If attestation is mandatory, you will be prompted to upload a file before marking the test case as complete.
• Supported file types depend on your project configuration.
• Uploaded attestation files are stored against the test case execution record and visible to test managers.

11. Tracking Execution Progress

Test managers can monitor the real-time progress of a Test Cycle from the list or from the cycle summary view.

• The Executed / Assigned counter shows how many test cases have been run out of the total assigned.

• The Project Dashboard shows aggregate Test Cycle statistics including execution status charts.

12. Related Areas

Area	How it relates to Test Cycles
Test Cases	Source of Test Cases assigned to sections within a cycle.
Phase	Test Cycles can be linked to an In Progress phase to scope execution.
Defects	Logged from failed Test Cases; linked back to the Test Cycle.
Project Dashboard	Shows Test Cycle execution charts and progress summaries.
Testcase Library	Master Test Cases that can be imported to a Project and later added to a cycle.
Backlog / RTM	Requirements that Test Cases verify; traceable through to cycles.