From qa-manual-testing
Converts a regression suite (or test plan) into an executable manual checklist for cases when automation isn't viable - a release-day smoke checklist, a post-incident verification list, or a periodic compliance check. Outputs a per-TC checkbox list with the minimal preconditions, the action, and a one-line "what to look for" - short enough to fit on one page per major flow. Use when the team needs a focused human-runnable list (not full step-tables), e.g., for production smoke after deploy or for the on-call rotation's quick verification.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/qa-manual-testing:test-execution-checklistThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
A full step-table manual script (per
A full step-table manual script (per
manual-test-script-author)
is overkill for some situations:
For these, a focused checklist wins: ~10-30 items, each one line, each with a clear pass/fail. The whole list fits on one screen / one printed page; the runner sweeps through it in 5-15 minutes.
This skill produces those checklists from the upstream regression suite (or a test plan).
If the use case is "test a feature thoroughly before release," use
manual-test-script-author
instead - full step-table format with expected results per step.
A checklist's value is its focus. Scope by one of:
| Scope | Item count | Wall time | Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical-path smoke | ~10 | ~5 min | Per-deploy. |
| Primary-flow check | ~20 | ~15 min | On-call first-pass. |
| Full-feature sweep | ~30 | ~30 min | Bug-bash kickoff. |
| Compliance record | ~10 | ~10 min | Weekly / monthly. |
Wider scope = lower run frequency = less repeated value.
Source TCs from
manual-test-script-author
or the existing regression suite. Compress each to a single line
with three slots:
[ ] [feature]: [action] → [observable outcome]
Examples:
[ ] **Login**: enter `[email protected]` + valid pwd → dashboard loads in <3s.
[ ] **Cart**: add `BOOK-001` → cart count badge shows "1".
[ ] **Promo code**: apply `WELCOME10` → subtotal drops by 10%.
[ ] **Checkout**: click `Place order` → confirmation page within 5s.
[ ] **Email**: order confirmation arrives within 5 min.
If a step needs 3+ lines to express, split into multiple checklist items OR move it back to the full step-table format - the checklist isn't the right artifact for that step.
A 30-item flat list is hard to scan. Group:
## Production smoke — release `v1.4.5`
**Tester:** ___________________ **Date:** ___________________ **Time:** ___________________
**Environment:** prod | staging **Build SHA:** ___________________
### Auth flow
- [ ] **Login** (existing user): `[email protected]` + valid pwd → dashboard <3s
- [ ] **Logout**: click `Sign out` → redirect to `/login`
- [ ] **Password reset**: click `Forgot password` → email arrives within 5 min
### Cart + checkout flow
- [ ] **Add to cart**: SKU `BOOK-001` → cart count badge shows "1"
- [ ] **Cart page**: navigate to `/cart` → item visible with qty 1, $24.99
- [ ] **Promo code**: apply `WELCOME10` → subtotal drops to $22.49
- [ ] **Checkout**: complete checkout with Stripe test card 4242 → confirmation page
### Account flow
- [ ] **Profile update**: change email → save → reload → email persists
- [ ] **Order history**: view past orders → most recent test order present
### Sign-off
**Pass / fail / partial:**
**Defects raised:** (list IDs)
**Notes:**
The flow grouping doubles as a coverage check - empty groups mean the smoke doesn't cover that flow.
A checklist that takes "as long as it takes" gets skipped. Set an explicit budget per group:
| Group | Items | Budget |
|---------------------|------:|-------:|
| Auth flow | 3 | 3 min |
| Cart + checkout flow | 4 | 6 min |
| Account flow | 2 | 3 min |
| **Total** | 9 | 12 min |
If the actual run exceeds the budget by >50%, the checklist is too long; trim to the highest-signal items.
Same as
manual-test-script-author
Step 6 - checklist failures need a path to a logged defect:
### Defects raised this run
| # | Item | Observed | Severity | Bug ID |
|---|-----------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|----------|---------|
| 1 | Promo code: apply WELCOME10 | Subtotal stayed at $24.99 | high | BUG-987 |
The checklist evolves with the product. Keep it in docs/:
docs/checklists/
├── prod-smoke-v1.md
├── prod-smoke-v2.md ← current
├── on-call-first-pass-v1.md
└── bug-bash-checkout-v1.md
Bumping the version when the items change (rather than mutating in place) preserves the historical record - useful for audit ("what did the smoke check on 2026-04-15?") and for retrospective on incidents that the smoke missed.
## Test execution checklists — `<feature/area>`
**Generated from:** `<source — TC suite / test plan / story>`
**Total items:** N
**Total wall-time budget:** M minutes
**Scope:** smoke | first-pass | full sweep | compliance
(per-checklist bodies follow per Step 3)
### Coverage notes
- Auth flow: N items covering login + logout + password reset
- Cart flow: N items covering add + view + checkout
- Areas NOT covered (intentional): admin panel (out of smoke scope),
internationalized currencies (covered weekly via `prod-smoke-i18n.md`)
| Anti-pattern | Why it fails | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| 50-item flat list | Tester loses focus; coverage drops mid-run. | Group by flow, ≤8-10 items per group (Step 3). |
| Items with multi-line steps | Defeats the checklist's purpose (one-line scan). | Split or move to full step-table (Step 2). |
| No time budget | "When you have time" → never run. | Per-group budget (Step 4). |
| One generic checklist for "everything" | Tries to be smoke + UAT + compliance; serves none well. | Per-purpose checklists; pick scope first (Step 1). |
| No defect-raising integration | Failed items get logged in chat; the run record is incomplete. | Defects-raised block in the sign-off (Step 5). |
| Checklist mutated in place (no version) | Can't tell what was checked when; audit / incident analysis broken. | Versioned files (Step 6). |
| "Smoke" check that takes 45 minutes | Smoke ≠ full regression; team skips after deploy. | Hard cap at 10-15 min for smoke (Step 1 table). |
manual-test-script-author - sibling: full step-table when more detail is needed.bug-bash-facilitator -
consumes a checklist as the bug-bash kickoff template.uat-script-author - full UAT
scripts when sign-off requires more than a checklist.smoke-suite-gate
(planned, qa-process Plugin 16) - automated equivalent for
CI-runnable smoke.npx claudepluginhub testland/qa --plugin qa-manual-testingProvides CDSS development patterns for drug interaction checking, dose validation, clinical scoring (NEWS2, qSOFA), and alert classification integrated into EMR workflows.