SpiraTest Getting Started Guide: Test Management from Setup to First Test Run

SpiraTest by Inflectra is a test management platform that covers the full quality lifecycle: requirements, test cases, test execution, defects, and reporting — all in one tool. It's been around since 2006 and is used by enterprises and government organizations that need formal traceability between requirements and test coverage.

This guide covers getting started with SpiraTest from account creation to your first test execution.

What Is SpiraTest?

SpiraTest is a web-based test management system (TMS) that manages:

• Requirements — what needs to be built and tested
• Test cases — how requirements will be verified
• Test sets — groups of test cases run together
• Test runs — execution results for test sets
• Incidents/Defects — bugs and issues linked to test failures
• Reports — coverage, execution status, defect trends

SpiraTest is part of Inflectra's product family. SpiraTeam adds project management (tasks, iterations), and SpiraPlan adds portfolio management. SpiraTest is the testing-focused entry point.

SpiraTest vs SpiraTeam vs SpiraPlan

For teams focused on testing and QA, SpiraTest is sufficient. Teams that need sprint planning and task management alongside testing should look at SpiraTeam.

Getting Access

SpiraTest is available as:

• Cloud SaaS — hosted by Inflectra at mycompany.spiraservice.net
• On-premises — install on your own Windows Server

For cloud, sign up at inflectra.com/SpiraTest. You get a trial period. For on-premises, download the installer and run it on IIS.

This guide uses the cloud SaaS version.

Step 1: Initial Setup

After logging in as the system administrator:

1. Go to System Administration
2. Create user accounts for your team
3. Configure active directories or LDAP if your organization uses SSO

Create Your First Project

1. Navigate to Administration → Projects
2. Click Add Project
3. Enter project name, description, and template
4. Choose a Project Template — templates define the workflow, fields, and types available in your project

SpiraTest includes default templates for software testing. You can customize or create templates later.

Set Up Roles and Permissions

SpiraTest has role-based permissions:

• Product Owner — manages requirements
• Manager — manages project settings
• Tester — executes test cases, logs defects
• Developer — can view and update defects
• Viewer — read-only access

Assign roles to users per project in Project Administration → Project Membership.

Step 2: Create Requirements

Requirements in SpiraTest are the foundation for traceability. Every test case can trace back to one or more requirements, showing what's covered.

Adding Requirements

1. Navigate to your project
2. Click Requirements in the left nav
3. Click Insert → Insert Requirement
4. Fill in: Name, Description, Type, Priority, Status

Organize requirements hierarchically. A top-level requirement ("User Authentication") with child requirements ("Login with email", "Login with SSO", "Password reset") creates a tree structure.

Requirement Fields

Key fields:

• Name — short description
• Description — detailed specification
• Type — Feature, User Story, Use Case, Quality, etc.
• Priority — Critical, High, Medium, Low
• Status — Requested, Planned, In Progress, Completed, Rejected
• Release — which release this requirement belongs to
• Owner — responsible team member

Importing Requirements

For projects with existing requirements in Jira or Word documents, use SpiraTest's Excel or CSV import:

1. Administration → Data Tools → Import
2. Select "Requirements" as import type
3. Map your columns to SpiraTest fields
4. Preview and import

Step 3: Create Test Cases

Test cases in SpiraTest describe how to verify requirements.

Adding a Test Case

1. Navigate to Test Cases
2. Click Insert → Insert Test Case
3. Enter the test case name
4. Add test steps in the Steps tab

Test Case Structure

Each test case has:

• Name — descriptive name
• Description — overall purpose
• Steps — ordered list of actions
• Priority — importance level
• Status — Draft, Approved, Obsolete
• Owner — responsible tester
• Estimated Duration — expected execution time
• Automation Host — if test is automated (linked to automation framework)

Test Steps

Each step has:

• Description — what action to perform
• Expected Result — what should happen
• Sample Data — test data for this step (optional)

Example for a login test case:

Linking Tests to Requirements

This creates traceability. In the test case editor:

1. Click the Requirements tab
2. Click Add Association
3. Search for and select the requirement this test covers

Now the requirement's coverage report shows which tests verify it.

Step 4: Create a Test Set

Test sets group test cases for a specific testing purpose — a regression suite, a sprint test plan, a smoke test.

1. Navigate to Test Sets
2. Click Insert Test Set
3. Name it (e.g., "Sprint 24 Regression")
4. In the Test Cases tab, add test cases to the set
5. Assign to a tester and set execution status

Step 5: Execute Tests

Manual Test Execution

1. Open a test set
2. Click Execute Test Set
3. SpiraTest opens the test execution screen
4. For each test case, work through the steps
5. Mark each step as Passed, Failed, or Blocked
6. Add actual results and attachments for failed steps
7. Click Finish to save the execution

When a step fails, SpiraTest prompts you to log an incident (defect). Fill in the defect details and it's automatically linked to the failed test step.

Executing Individual Test Cases

For ad-hoc testing, execute a single test case from the test case list:

1. Select a test case
2. Click Execute
3. Work through steps and record results

Setting Up a Test Run

Test runs track progress against a test set. Before starting execution:

1. Assign the test set to a release
2. Set the planned start date and end date
3. Assign testers to specific test cases

The test set dashboard shows completion percentage and pass/fail breakdown as testers execute.

Step 6: Log and Manage Defects

Failed test steps create incidents (defects) in SpiraTest. Each incident has:

• Name — bug description
• Type — Bug, Enhancement, Issue, Risk, etc.
• Priority — Critical, High, Medium, Low
• Severity — Critical, High, Medium, Low, N/A
• Status — New, Open, Assigned, In Progress, Fixed, Closed
• Assigned To — developer responsible for fixing
• Detected Release — which release it was found in
• Resolved Release — which release it will be fixed in

Incidents link automatically to the test step that found them, providing full traceability from requirement → test case → execution → defect.

Step 7: View Reports

SpiraTest's reporting shows the state of your testing program.

Built-in reports include:

• Requirements Coverage — which requirements have tests, pass/fail status
• Test Case Progress — test case execution status
• Incident Summary — open defect counts by status and priority
• Test Set Execution — test set completion percentage
• Release Testing — test status per release

Access reports from Reports in the navigation. Each report is configurable with date ranges, projects, and filters.

What's Next

With SpiraTest running:

• Explore Requirements Traceability to understand coverage gaps
• Set up CI/CD integration to automatically report automated test results
• Configure custom fields and workflows for your process
• Invite developers and product managers to collaborate

SpiraTest vs Other Tools

SpiraTest shines for teams that need:

• Formal requirements-to-test traceability
• On-premises deployment (regulated industries, government)
• Combined manual and automated test management
• A single platform rather than separate tools for each step

It has a steeper learning curve than lighter tools like TestRail, but provides significantly more structure for organizations that need it.

Automated Monitoring Beyond Test Management

SpiraTest manages your planned test cases and manual execution. But who monitors your application 24/7 between planned test cycles?

HelpMeTest runs continuous tests against your production app — every 5 minutes, around the clock. Write tests in plain English, get alerted immediately when something breaks.

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