Track Bugs and Issues in Test Runs
Overview
Test Manager connects the bugs found during testing to the test instances that exposed them. Any issue raised or linked on a test instance or a step is a defect, whatever its type in the tracker. Every test instance in a Test Run carries its own defects, so the run becomes a traceable map of test results and the bugs behind them. You can see which tests have known bugs and open any of them in one click.
Issues linked on a test case or on the Test Run itself are requirements: what the test validates. See Link Jira Issues, Link Azure DevOps Issues, or Link Linear Issues.
Requirements and defects are currently in slow rollout. To get early access, raise a request to our support team. Until they are enabled for your organization, linked issues appear in a single list.
There are two ways to put a bug on a test instance:
- Link an existing issue: connect a Jira or Azure DevOps ticket that already exists.
- Raise a new bug with Mark as Bug: create a new ticket in your bug tracker while you execute the test.
This works in Manual, KaneAI, and Automation Test Runs.
Before you begin
- To link or raise bugs that are visible inside Test Manager, integrate Jira or Azure DevOps with your TestMu AI account:
- Mark as Bug can also create tickets in other bug tracking tools. See Supported trackers and visibility for what that means inside Test Manager.
How bug tracking works in a Test Run
A bug is always associated with a test instance, one test case running with one configuration inside a Test Run. Whether you link an existing issue or raise a new one, the association is the same, and the bug becomes visible in three places:
- On the test instance level.
- In the Defects found tab of the Test Run's Issues tab, which lists every bug in the run.
- In the Defects tab of the corresponding Test Case's Issues tab.
You can add a bug from the run's instance list, from inside an instance, or from a specific step of an instance. A bug added at a step is listed with its parent instance, so you always see the complete picture at the instance level.
On the test case, each defect shows where it was raised, and View in run opens that run:
Link an existing issue to a test instance
Use this when the defect is already tracked in Jira or Azure DevOps and you want to connect it to the test that found it.
- Open the Test Run and stay on the Test Instances tab.
- On the test instance you want, open the bug menu on its row and select Link Issue.
- In the Link Issues dialog, choose the tracker: Jira or Azure DevOps. Only trackers you have integrated are available.
- Enter the issue key or paste its URL.
- Click Link Issue.
The issue is now linked, and the test instance row shows a bug count. That count is your at-a-glance signal for which tests in the run have known defects.
Raise a new bug with Mark as Bug
Use this when you find a defect while executing a test and no ticket exists yet.
- On a test instance, or a specific step within it, choose Mark as Bug.
- In the Create an Issue panel, confirm the bug tracker. Use Switch App to file the bug in a different connected tracker.
- Fill in the issue details, such as the project, issue type, and summary. Required fields are marked. The panel already carries the test instance's context.
- Click Create Issue.
Test Manager files the ticket in your bug tracker without leaving the run. When the ticket is created in Jira, Azure DevOps, or Linear, it is added as a defect on the test instance or step, and appears in the Defects sections of the test case and the Test Run, in the same views as a linked issue.
Mark as Bug can file tickets in several bug trackers, but only Jira, Azure DevOps, and Linear tickets are tracked back to the test instance. See Supported trackers and visibility.
Review the issues on an instance
You can review the bugs on a test instance in two ways:
- From the run list: open the bug menu on the instance row and select View Issues. A side panel lists every issue associated with that instance.
- From the instance: open the test instance and go to its Issues tab, the last of its three tabs, after Test steps and Test case details. The tab header shows how many defects the instance carries, and the list shows where each one was raised. This is only possible in Manual Test Runs.
Each issue entry shows its title, key, type, status, priority, the project it belongs to, and who created it, enough to triage without opening the tracker. Use the search box and the Status and Issue Type filters to narrow a long list.
The test instance page also lists the test case's requirements under Validates, grouped by tracker, so you know what the test is checking while you run it.
Add a bug while reviewing an instance or a step
You do not have to act from the run list. In a Manual Test Run, the test instance page lists the steps of the instance, and you can link an existing issue or raise a new bug at two levels:
- At the instance: for a defect that affects the test case as a whole. Use the bug action at the top of the page.
- At a step: on the Test steps tab, use the bug action on the step where the failure occurred, so the defect is recorded against the exact point of failure.
To link an issue at either level:
- Open the menu next to the bug action and select Link existing defect.
- Choose the tracker: Jira, Azure DevOps, or Linear.
- Enter the issue key or paste its URL, and click Link defect.
A defect added at a step is listed under that step, on the instance's Issues tab, and on the test case's Defects tab, so the instance always reflects the full set of defects found.
See every issue in the run
The Test Run's Issues tab has two tabs, each grouped by tracker, useful for a defect triage or a run sign-off.
Defects found lists every bug raised or linked across the run's test instances and steps. Each one shows its test case, where it was raised, the configuration, and the requirement it relates to. To focus the list, filter by Test Case, for example, to see only the bugs behind one failing test case. You can also filter by Status and Issue Type, or search by keyword.
Requirements covered lists the issues linked to the run itself and the requirements of the test cases in the run. Each one shows how many instances cover it, their results in this run, and its defects. Filter by Test Case, Status, and Results, or search by keyword.
To add an issue to the run's scope, click Link requirement to run, choose the tracker, enter the issue key or URL, and click Link requirement. It is added as a requirement, not as a defect. To record a defect, add it on a test instance or a step.
A defect counts as open based on its status in the tracker. A Linear issue in a Canceled status counts as an open defect.
Unlink an issue
If a bug no longer belongs on a test instance or a step, open the instance's Issues tab (or the View Issues panel), find the issue, and use its unlink action. You can also unlink a defect from the step it is listed under. Unlinking removes the association in Test Manager only. The ticket itself stays in Jira, Azure DevOps, or Linear.
Behavior in specific situations
| Situation | What happens |
|---|---|
| You copy a test case | The copy keeps its requirements and drops its defects, whether you copy it within a project or to another project |
| You update a test case to a new version | Its defects are kept |
| You link an issue to an archived test case | The link is blocked. Unarchive the test case first |
| A tracker is not connected to your account | You are prompted to connect it before you can link its issues |
Supported trackers and visibility
Linking an existing issue is available for Jira and Azure DevOps.
Linking an existing issue is available for Jira, Azure DevOps, and Linear.
Mark as Bug can create tickets in several bug tracking tools, but only Jira, Azure DevOps, and Linear tickets are associated with, and visible in, Test Runs, Test Cases, and test instances. A bug raised in any other tracker is created successfully but does not appear in these views.
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