Tool Review: ReQtest Features, Use Cases, Pros & Cons

As a digital project manager with experience across a number of agencies, it’s inevitable I’ve had to use a number of tools for my projects.

While a majority of those tools fall within the task management, timeline management, and budget management categories, few of them specialize in requirements management—until I got my hands on ReQtest.

For those who don’t know me, you know that I’ve got a lot to say about managing requirements:

• I’ve written a guide teaching digital PMs how to master the process of requirements gathering
• I recorded a DPM podcast episode on requirements gathering
• I also led a workshop on Requirements Gathering & Documentation, which you can access a recording of in DPM Membership.

Naturally, I was excited to try out a new requirements management tool.

My ReQtest Review

Below, I’ll outline my experience using ReQtest, the features I found most useful, and the way it impacted my current PM toolkit.

Comments On The Overall ReQtest User Experience

While ReQtest was entirely new to me, I quickly realized this tool was easy to implement, easy to access, and easy to learn how to use—all aspects which are extremely valuable to my time, my team, and our ability to push projects forward.

I finally found a tool that truly managed requirements documentation at a caliber I didn’t realize I needed—one that integrated with JIRA, integrated with our UAT process, and reduced the amount of micromanagement on my part (if I’m being honest).

Challenges ReQtest Solved For Me

When it comes to DPM tools, a majority of us are faced with one of two challenges:

1. Using too many tools that don’t integrate with each other (this results in redundant work and wasted time).
2. Having too few tools  (this results in forcing tools to do what they shouldn’t and mismanagement).

Before I used ReQtest, I had used 4-5 tools for the following to manage different elements of my digital projects:

1. TeamGantt – for timeline management
2. JIRA – for task management and reporting
3. Bug tracking tools (I’ve used the following: DoneDone, Trello, BugHerd, RedMine, Asana)
4. Google Docs and/or Confluence – for documentation management (sort of)

Side Note: Confluence and Google Docs may absolutely suffice for authoring requirements documentation, but when it comes to managing requirements documentation (e.g. associating individual requirements to specific JIRA tasks and test plans), Confluence and Google Docs fall short.

After using the basic trial for ReQtest, I was able to slim down my toolkit to the following 3:

1. TeamGantt – for timeline management
2. JIRA – for task management and reporting (development)
3. ReQtest – for requirements management, bug management (QA & UAT), and reporting (requirements & testing)

It was great that adding the ReQtest software allowed me to remove another tool from my toolkit to keep things manageable.

What Sets ReQtest Apart?

What sets ReQtest apart from the rest is absolutely its ability to manage requirements documentation.

Requirements authoring and hierarchy

Instead of dumping thousands of words into pages of a glorified document and being forced to use tables and roman numeral trees and bullets, ReQtest allows you to author your requirements in a way that keeps it organized in a hierarchy and parsed out. You can author them down to the individual requirement, so you are able to associate each requirement to its respective JIRA task, test case need, and ultimately any issues which may surface in the future.

Linking tickets and test cases

Instead of digging for that requirement on “page 42, section C…”, ReQtest allows you to intuitively link a ticket and/or test case to the exact line of a requirement to which it relates within the requirements hierarchy. Any time you click into a test case or bug, you’re able to see exactly to which requirement it relates.

Reporting

What if someone forgets to link a test case or bug to its respective ReQtest requirement?

Fear not! You, as the diligent DPM you are, will be able to see in the Reports section exactly which test cases or tickets exist without a requirement. That allows you to follow up with its creator to make sure a requirement is linked, therefore leaving no stone left unturned or without a requirement.

Permissions

ReQtest also has the ability to set permission levels for each of your projects so, if you prefer, you’re able to allow your client access to ReQtest and set permission levels accordingly.

ReQtest JIRA Integration

So let’s talk about this JIRA integration. Within the admin settings of ReQtest, you’re able to adjust exactly which fields in JIRA you’d like to have available in ReQtest so the appropriate information integrates (think JIRA ticket detail fields).

Something to note: if there are required fields in your JIRA tickets, ReQtest must be set up to capture these required fields accordingly.

Now, before you get all excited and run to your development team about “our cool new tool!”, remember that developers typically like to stay within their one task management tool. With ReQtest’s JIRA integration, your development team won’t have to go into ReQtest to give you the information you need! Just make sure you run through some test tickets to verify with your development team that tickets are coming through with all the necessary information they need.

Final Thoughts

While ReQtest has the ability to serve as a tool for bug management for your QA and UAT phases, I really think requirements and test plan management is its forte. Especially if you’re operating in a robust development tool such as JIRA, you may have what you need as it relates to ticket and bug management for your QA and UAT phases.

That being said, I believe ReQtest has a whole lot to offer when it comes to requirements management and how it is organized, how it’s referenced for testing, and how you’re able to verify thoroughness in that crucial phase of requirements gathering.

In a digital project management world where requirements documentation can fall to the wayside, ReQtest helps organize this crucial foundation for your team and launch from it the structured test plans and reference points that will further secure your project success.