Manual Testing and Defect Management

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Manual Testing and Defect Management

This course is part of Microsoft Junior QA/Software Tester Professional Certificate

Instructor: Microsoft

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11 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Beginner level

Recommended experience

9 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

11 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

Beginner level

Recommended experience

9 hours to complete

Flexible schedule

Learn at your own pace

What you'll learn

Execute smoke suites and maintain regression checklists with clear evidence capture.
Conduct exploratory and usability testing to identify cross-browser issues and friction points.
Create informative bug reports with reproducible steps and appropriate severity levels.
Classify, prioritize, and track defects to monitor resolution times effectively.

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Build your Support and Operations expertise

This course is part of the Microsoft Junior QA/Software Tester Professional Certificate

When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Professional Certificate.

Learn new concepts from industry experts
Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
Earn a shareable career certificate from Microsoft

There are 11 modules in this course

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.

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.

What's included

3 videos1 reading1 assignment1 ungraded lab

3 videosTotal 12 minutes

The Origin of "Smoke Testing"4 minutes
Guided Setup: Prepping a Smoke Pack5 minutes
ADO Translation: Executing Tests in Azure DevOps3 minutes

1 readingTotal 4 minutes

Smoke Testing vs. Deep Execution4 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 5 minutes

Knowledge Check: Smoke Suites5 minutes

1 ungraded labTotal 15 minutes

Hands-On Activity: Execute a 10-Case Smoke Pack15 minutes

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.

What's included

3 videos1 reading2 assignments1 ungraded lab

3 videosTotal 15 minutes

Regression vs. User Acceptance Testing (UAT)6 minutes
Updating a Regression Suite Before Code-Freeze4 minutes
ADO Translation: Managing Suites in Azure DevOps5 minutes

1 readingTotal 4 minutes

Maintaining a Regression Checklist4 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 20 minutes

Graded Quiz: Smoke, Regression and UAT15 minutes
Knowledge Check: Regression and UAT5 minutes

1 ungraded labTotal 15 minutes

Hands-On Activity: Curate a Minor Release Checklist15 minutes

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.

What's included

2 videos1 reading1 assignment1 ungraded lab

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.

What's included

2 videos1 reading2 assignments1 ungraded lab

2 videosTotal 12 minutes

WCAG Basics & Web Accessibility6 minutes
Running an Accessibility Audit in MS Edge5 minutes

1 readingTotal 4 minutes

The Think-Aloud Protocol4 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 20 minutes

Graded Quiz: Exploratory and Usability Labs15 minutes
Knowledge Check: Usability and WCAG5 minutes

1 ungraded labTotal 15 minutes

Hands-On Activity: Accessibility and Usability Summary 15 minutes

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.

What's included

2 videos1 reading2 assignments

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.

What's included

2 videos2 assignments1 ungraded lab

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.

What's included

3 videos2 readings1 assignment

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.

What's included

2 videos3 readings2 assignments

2 videosTotal 11 minutes

Capturing Evidence5 minutes
ADO Translation: Logging Bugs in Azure DevOps6 minutes

3 readingsTotal 27 minutes

Anatomy of a Perfect Bug Report5 minutes
Defining Bug Severity7 minutes
Hands-on Activity: File a Complete Defect Ticket15 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 20 minutes

Graded Quiz: Defect Life cycle and Reporting15 minutes
Knowledge Check: Bug Reporting5 minutes

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.

What's included

2 videos3 readings1 assignment

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.

What's included

2 videos2 readings2 assignments

2 videosTotal 8 minutes

MTTR and Reopen Rates Explained5 minutes
Guided Setup: Tracking Your Bugs In Jira4 minutes

2 readingsTotal 19 minutes

ADO Translation (Optional): Dashboard Queries in Azure DevOps4 minutes
Hands-on Activity: Investigate a Defect Bottleneck15 minutes

2 assignmentsTotal 20 minutes

Graded Quiz: Triage and Metrics15 minutes
Knowledge Check: QA Metrics5 minutes

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.

What's included

1 video2 readings1 assignment1 ungraded lab

1 videoTotal 3 minutes

Why This Project Matters3 minutes

2 readingsTotal 10 minutes

Project Requirements: Manual Testing and Defect Report4 minutes
Project Instructions: Manual Testing and Defect Report6 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 10 minutes

Hands-on Activity: Manual Testing and Defect Report Submission10 minutes

1 ungraded labTotal 45 minutes

Manual Testing and Defect Report45 minutes

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Instructor

Microsoft

420 Courses2,801,254 learners

Offered by

Microsoft

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