Overview

Google, IBM & Meta Certificates – 40% Off

One plan covers every Professional Certificate on Coursera.

Gain proficiency in the daily operations of a QA professional by diving deep into manual testing techniques and defect management. In this course, you will learn to conduct smoke and regression tests to verify build stability. You will develop skills in exploratory and usability testing, uncovering user friction points and verifying cross-browser compatibility and accessibility compliance. A core focus is the precise management of the defect lifecycle: documenting bugs with clear, reproducible steps; using screen captures and log analysis as evidence; and triaging issues by severity and priority. By the end of the course, you will be proficient in using industry-standard bug tracking tools to monitor resolution times and communicate effectively with development teams. Tools used include Jira Cloud (Free Tier) and Zephyr (free 30-day trial plugin within your Jira workspace). This course is designed for aspiring testers who want to learn how to actively test applications, uncover user friction points, and communicate bugs effectively to developers.

Syllabus

Smoke Testing and Build Verification Testing

Learn why we don't test a broken build. You will understand the concept of Smoke Testing (Build Verification Testing) and execute a rapid smoke pack to ensure the software is stable enough for deeper QA.

Regression Testing and UAT

Protect old features from new code. Learn how to curate and update a regression checklist, and explore how UAT validates that the final product actually solves the business problem.

Exploratory Testing

Learn how to test software creatively without a script. You will use charters (a formal document that outlines the essential elements of a software development project) to stay focused and heuristics (rules of thumb) to actively explore and uncover edge-case defects that standard regression suites miss.

Usability and Accessibility Testing

Quality is more than just functioning code; it must be usable by everyone. Learn how to identify user friction points and conduct baseline accessibility audits.

Cross-Browser Strategy

Learn why browser fragmentation occurs and how to use data to build a smart, risk-based compatibility matrix, so you don't waste time testing dead browsers.

Mobile and Emulation Execution

Dive into execution. Learn the difference between physical devices, emulators, and cloud farms, and practice running mobile-specific functional tests right from your desktop browser.

The Defect Life Cycle

What happens to a bug after you log it? Trace the journey of a defect from discovery to resolution, and understand the various states and workflows used in modern issue trackers like Jira.

Writing the Perfect Bug Report

A bug report is a technical communication tool. Learn the anatomy of a perfect defect ticket, from writing clear summary titles to capturing video evidence and defining correct severity.

Defect Prioritization and Triage

Learn the crucial difference between how bad a bug is technically (Severity) and how fast the business needs it fixed (Priority), and practice running a defect triage session.

QA Metrics and Monitoring

Learn to interpret critical quality metrics like Mean Time To Resolution (MTTR) and Reopen Rates to monitor the health of your own tickets and identify communication bottlenecks.

Project Module: Manual Execution and Bug Reporting

Synthesize your manual execution skills in a capstone simulation. You will conduct a time-boxed exploratory testing session on a new application release, uncover seeded defects, log a flawless bug report into Jira Cloud, and investigate a rejected defect to unblock a developer.