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qa-test-cases

Generate production-ready BDD/Gherkin test cases from acceptance criteria using ISTQB methodology.

Overview​

The /jaan-to:qa-test-cases skill transforms acceptance criteria into comprehensive BDD/Gherkin test scenarios using systematic test design techniques from ISTQB standards. It generates test cases with concrete data values, proper edge case coverage, and built-in quality validation.

Rank: #1 highest-leverage QA task (AI Score: 5/5)

Quick Start​

# Basic usage with AC text
/jaan-to:qa-test-cases "User can login with valid email and password"

# From PRD file
/jaan-to:qa-test-cases jaan-to/outputs/pm/prd/01-user-auth/01-prd-user-auth.md

# Interactive wizard
/jaan-to:qa-test-cases

What It Does​

Generates minimum 10 test cases per acceptance criterion:

  • 3 positive tests - Happy path variations
  • 3 negative tests - Invalid inputs, error handling
  • 2 boundary tests - Min/max limits, off-by-one errors
  • 2 edge case tests - From 5 priority categories

Output Format: BDD/Gherkin (with ISTQB conversion notes for Xray/TestRail/Azure DevOps)

Input Modes​

1. Direct Text​

Paste acceptance criteria directly:

/jaan-to:qa-test-cases "
- User can login with valid email and password
- Invalid credentials show error message
- Account locks after 5 failed attempts
"

2. PRD File Path​

Reference a PRD file to extract acceptance criteria:

/jaan-to:qa-test-cases jaan-to/outputs/pm/prd/01-user-auth/01-prd-user-auth.md

The skill will:

  1. Read the file
  2. Extract the "Acceptance Criteria" or "User Stories" section
  3. Preview extracted AC for approval
  4. Generate test cases

3. Jira Integration (if MCP available)​

/jaan-to:qa-test-cases PROJ-123

Fetches the story and extracts acceptance criteria automatically.

4. Interactive Wizard​

/jaan-to:qa-test-cases

Prompts you to choose your preferred input method.

Test Design Techniques Applied​

Equivalence Partitioning​

Divides input domains into valid/invalid partitions, selecting representative values:

Example: Age field (18-64 for adults)

  • Valid partition: 18-64 → Test with 35
  • Invalid: <18 → Test with 10; >64 → Test with 70

Boundary Value Analysis (3-value BVA)​

Tests boundaries with values just below, at, and just above limits:

Example: Quantity 1-100

  • Tests: 0 (below), 1 (min), 2 (above min), 99 (below max), 100 (max), 101 (above)

Edge Case Taxonomy​

5 priority categories based on production defect frequency:

  1. Empty/Null States (32% of bugs) - Null input, empty strings, zero counts
  2. Boundary Values (28% of bugs) - Min/max limits, overflow
  3. Error Conditions (22% of bugs) - Timeouts, HTTP 500/503, failures
  4. Concurrent Operations (12% of bugs) - Race conditions, double-submit
  5. State Transitions (6% of bugs) - Invalid transitions, back button

Output Structure​

$JAAN_OUTPUTS_DIR/qa/cases/{id}-{slug}/
├── {id}-test-cases-{slug}.md              # Main test cases (BDD/Gherkin)
└── {id}-test-cases-quality-checklist-{slug}.md  # Quality validation

Main File Contains​

  • Executive Summary (1-2 sentences)
  • Metadata (test counts, coverage breakdown)
  • Acceptance Criteria Coverage (mapping table)
  • BDD/Gherkin Scenarios (all test cases)
    • Feature header with user story format
    • Background (shared preconditions)
    • Positive tests (@smoke, @positive tags)
    • Negative tests (@negative tags)
    • Boundary tests (@boundary tags)
    • Edge case tests (@edge-case, @{category} tags)
  • ISTQB Conversion Notes (for traditional tools)
  • Traceability Matrix (AC → Tests mapping)
  • Test Execution Guidelines

Quality Checklist Contains​

  • 10-Point Peer Review Checklist
  • Anti-Patterns to Avoid
  • 100-Point Scoring Rubric (6 dimensions)
  • Coverage Sufficiency Analysis

Example Output​

Input AC​

- User can login with valid email and password
- Invalid credentials show error message
- Account locks after 5 failed attempts

Generated Scenarios (excerpt)​

@smoke @positive @priority-critical @REQ-AUTH-001
Scenario: Successful login with valid credentials
  Given I am on the login page
  When I enter "test@example.com" in the email field
  And I enter "ValidP@ss123!" in the password field
  And I click the "Login" button
  Then I should be redirected to the dashboard within 3 seconds
  And I should see "Welcome, Test User" in the header

@regression @negative @priority-high @REQ-AUTH-001
Scenario: Login fails with incorrect password
  Given I am on the login page
  When I enter "test@example.com" in the email field
  And I enter "wrongpassword" in the password field
  And I click the "Login" button
  Then I should see error "Invalid email or password"
  And I should remain on the login page

@security @edge-case @concurrent @priority-high @REQ-AUTH-001
Scenario: Account locks after 5 failed attempts
  Given I am on the login page
  When I attempt to login with wrong password 5 times consecutively
  Then my account should be locked
  And I should see "Account locked. Please contact support."
  And subsequent correct password attempts should also fail

Key Features​

✅ Concrete Test Data (Not Placeholders)​

Uses specific values for reproducibility:

❌ Never generates: "[valid email]", "[password]", "click the button"

✅ Systematic Tagging​

  • @smoke - Critical path (1-3 per feature)
  • @regression - All tests
  • @positive / @negative / @boundary / @edge-case - By type
  • @priority-critical/high/medium/low - By risk
  • @REQ-{id} - Traceability to source AC

✅ Quality Validation​

10-Point Checklist:

  1. Alignment (maps to AC)
  2. Clarity (unambiguous steps)
  3. Completeness (preconditions/data/results)
  4. Measurable results (thresholds)
  5. Test data (concrete values)
  6. Traceability (@REQ tags)
  7. Independence (no dependencies)
  8. Reproducibility (any tester)
  9. Negative coverage (30%+)
  10. Edge coverage (5 categories)

100-Point Rubric (90+ production-ready, <60 reject)

✅ ISTQB Export Ready​

Includes conversion notes and examples for:

  • Xray for Jira (CSV/JSON)
  • TestRail (CSV/API)
  • Azure DevOps Test Plans

Workflow​

Phase 1: Analysis (Read-Only)​

  1. Input Mode Detection - Identifies AC source
  2. Ambiguity Resolution - Asks 6 clarifying questions if AC is vague:
    • What happens when required fields are empty?
    • What are min/max boundaries for each input?
    • What specific error messages for failures?
    • What happens on system/network failure?
    • Any concurrent user scenarios?
    • What permissions/roles required?
  3. Test Design Techniques - Applies EP, BVA, edge case taxonomy
  4. Test Inventory Summary - Shows planned test count breakdown

HARD STOP​

Previews complete plan before generation:

  • Source (input mode)
  • AC count
  • Total test case count
  • Output format (BDD/Gherkin)
  • Output paths

Requires explicit approval to proceed.

Phase 2: Generation (Write Phase)​

  1. Generate BDD/Gherkin Scenarios - All test types with concrete data
  2. Generate ISTQB Conversion Notes - Export guidance
  3. Quality Validation - 10-point checklist + 5 AI failure mode checks
  4. Preview & Approval - Shows executive summary + first 3 scenarios
  5. Write Output Files - Main test cases + quality checklist
  6. Update Index - Auto-updates README.md
  7. Capture Feedback - Options to fix now, learn, or both

Quality Gates​

AI Failure Mode Mitigations (Research Section 8):

  1. ❌ No vague steps ("properly", "correctly") → ✅ Specific elements, exact text
  2. ❌ No missing preconditions → ✅ Explicit "Given" clauses
  3. ❌ No placeholders → ✅ Concrete values only
  4. ❌ No over-specification (DB/internal) → ✅ Observable behavior only
  5. ❌ No missing negative tests → ✅ 30/40/30 distribution

Coverage Targets:

  • 30% positive tests
  • 40% negative tests
  • 30% edge case tests
  • 70-80% industry standard code coverage

Research Foundation​

Based on comprehensive 880-line methodology guide:

  • ISTQB Foundation Level Syllabus v4.0
  • IEEE 829-2008 Software Test Documentation
  • BDD/Gherkin best practices (cucumber.io)
  • Production defect patterns (5 edge case categories with bug frequencies)

Research document: jaan-to/outputs/research/50-qa-test-cases.md

Tips​

When to Use​

  • After writing acceptance criteria in PRDs
  • Before development starts (shift-left testing)
  • During sprint planning for estimation
  • For test case review and peer validation

Best Practices​

  1. Start with clear AC - The better the input, the better the output
  2. Review first 3 scenarios - Validate approach before approving all
  3. Use quality checklist - Peer review with 10-point checklist
  4. Iterate with feedback - Use "/jaan-to:learn-add" to improve over time
  5. Export to tools - Use ISTQB conversion notes for Xray/TestRail

Common Questions Answered​

Q: Can I modify generated test cases? A: Yes! Use the "Fix now" option in Step 9 feedback to make immediate changes.

Q: How do I add more test cases later? A: Re-run the skill with the same AC - it generates a new ID and folder.

Q: Can I use this with Jira? A: Yes, if Jira MCP is configured. Otherwise, paste AC from Jira tickets.

Q: What if my AC is vague? A: The skill asks up to 6 clarifying questions to resolve ambiguities.

Q: How do I export to TestRail? A: See the "ISTQB Conversion Notes" section in generated output for CSV format and examples.

Technical Details​

  • Logical Name: qa-test-cases
  • Command: /jaan-to:qa-test-cases
  • Allowed Tools: Read, Glob, Grep, Write($JAAN_OUTPUTS_DIR/qa/**), Task, WebSearch
  • Output: $JAAN_OUTPUTS_DIR/qa/cases/{id}-{slug}/
  • ID Generation: Sequential per subdomain (01, 02, 03...)
  • Index: Auto-updates $JAAN_OUTPUTS_DIR/qa/cases/README.md

Generated: 2026-02-03 Skill: qa-test-cases Version: 1.0.0