Exploratory sessions#
Exploratory sessions in Zebrunner help you manage, track, and analyze Observations made during exploratory testing. Each session serves as a dedicated workspace where you can capture findings, propose improvements, link defects, and more.
Clicking on an exploratory session will navigate you to a more detailed view of the session. It includes all relevant details of the session in a structured format:
- Observations – The core units of a session, capturing findings, ideas, or bugs in a flexible format. Learn more here.
- Observation statistics – Number of recorded observations categorized by type.
- Observation labels – A visual representation of the number of observations, sorted by creation date descending.
- Assignee – The user responsible for the session.
- Milestone – The project milestone associated with this session.
- Configurations – Specific system configurations applied during testing.
- Requirements – The functional or business requirements linked to this session.
- Issues – All defects or bugs reported during the session.
- Improvements – Suggestions for enhancing functionality, UI, or performance.
Searching and filtering#
Users can search for exploratory session by entering the query into the corresponding input field on the Exploratory sessions page. You can search using any phrase, word, or symbol from the exploratory session title. Please note that double quotes are not supported as they are considered special characters, and search is case-insensitive.
Below are some of the attributes that can be used for filtering:
- Assignee: Shows sessions assigned to a specific user.
- Environment: Filters sessions by the environment (e.g., Production, Staging).
- Created By: Displays sessions created by a particular user.
- Created: Narrows sessions based on their creation date.
- Milestone: Filters sessions linked to a certain milestone.
- Open/Closed: Distinguishes active sessions from those already closed.
Creating an exploratory session#
Note
To perform this action, you must have the role of Engineer or higher
To create a new exploratory session, navigate to the Exploratory sessions page and follow these steps:
- Click the Session button
- Fill in the required and optional fields:
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Title | Describe the purpose or scope of the session |
| Assignee | (Optional) Assign a user responsible for the session |
| Description | (Optional) Outline testing goals or focus areas |
| Environment | (Optional) Specify the test environment (e.g., staging, production) |
| Milestone | (Optional) Link the session to a project milestone |
| Requirements | (Optional) Connect relevant requirements (e.g., Jira or Azure issues) |
| Configurations | (Optional) Define test setups (e.g., browser/OS, feature flags) |
- Click the Create button
After creating the session, you can begin documenting your findings through Observations - the core elements of exploratory sessions. Learn more about working with observations here.
Editing an exploratory session#
Note
To perform this action, you must have the role of Engineer or higher
To modify an existing exploratory session, follow these steps:
- Identify the session you wish to update on the Exploratory sessions page
- Click the menu next to the session
- Select Edit from the dropdown
- Update any details, such as the Title, Assignee, Environment, Milestone, Description, Requirements, or Configurations
- Click Save to confirm your changes
Assigning exploratory session to a milestone in bulk#
Note
To perform this action, you must have the role of Engineer or higher
Info
This action is only available for open exploratory sessions.
- On the Exploratory sessions page, select the sessions you want to assign to a milestone by checking the appropriate checkboxes
- Click the Assign to milestone button at the top of the sessions list
- Follow the prompts to choose the milestone
- Confirm the action
Selecting a range of exploratory sessions
Click on the checkbox to the left of the first exploratory session you want to select to initiate the selection. Then, hold down the Shift key and click on the last checkbox to select all exploratory sessions in the range between the first and last clicked checkboxes.
Assigning a user to exploratory sessions in bulk#
Note
To perform this action, you must have the role of Engineer or higher
Info
This action is only available for open exploratory sessions
- On the Exploratory Sessions page, select the sessions you want to assign by checking the appropriate boxes
- Click the Assign button at the top of the sessions list
- Follow the prompts to select the assignee
- Confirm the action
Selecting a range of exploratory sessions
Click on the checkbox to the left of the first exploratory session you want to select to initiate the selection. Then, hold down the Shift key and click on the last checkbox to select all exploratory sessions in the range between the first and last clicked checkboxes.
Closing exploratory sessions#
Note
To perform this action, you must have the role of Engineer or higher
Info
This action is only available for open exploratory sessions
- Identify the session you wish to close on the Exploratory sessions page
- Click the menu next to that session
- Select Close from the dropdown
- Confirm your action
Note
Once a session is closed, it can no longer be modified or reopened.
You may close several sessions in bulk by performing next steps:
- On the Exploratory sessions page, select the sessions you want to close using the checkboxes
- Click the Close button at the top of the sessions list
- Follow the on-screen prompts and confirm the bulk action
Selecting a range of exploratory sessions
Click on the checkbox to the left of the first exploratory session you want to select to initiate the selection. Then, hold down the Shift key and click on the last checkbox to select all exploratory sessions in the range between the first and last clicked checkboxes.
Deleting exploratory sessions#
Note
To perform this action, you must have the role of Engineer or higher
- Identify the open session you wish to delete on the Exploratory sessions page
- Click the menu next to that session
- Select Delete from the dropdown
- Confirm your action
Note
Deleting an exploratory session is irreversible. All data associated with that session will be permanently removed.
You may delete several sessions in bulk by performing next steps:
- On the Exploratory Sessions page, select the sessions you want to delete using the checkboxes
- Once you have made your selection, click the Delete button at the top of the sessions list
- Follow the on-screen prompts and confirm the bulk action
Selecting a range of exploratory sessions
Click on the checkbox to the left of the first exploratory session you want to select to initiate the selection. Then, hold down the Shift key and click on the last checkbox to select all exploratory sessions in the range between the first and last clicked checkboxes.