What is the purpose of a test management tool?

The purpose of a test management tool is to provide support for test management and control. This involves organizing, planning, and monitoring the testing process, allowing teams to maintain an overview of the testing activities, track progress, manage testing resources, and ensure that test coverage is adequate. Test management tools help facilitate collaboration among team members, streamline the reporting of test outcomes, and maintain traceability from requirements to test cases and defects.

Using a test management tool can significantly enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the testing process, enabling teams to ensure that their testing efforts are well-coordinated and aligned with project goals. This encompasses planning test activities, assigning tasks, collecting metrics, and communicating results to stakeholders, ultimately supporting the overall quality assurance process.

While automated test execution, evaluating test results, and defining test environments are important activities in the software testing lifecycle, they are usually specific functionalities or aspects that can be supplemented by a test management tool rather than the overarching purpose of such a tool. Thus, the main intent remains focused on the management and control aspects essential for successful testing.