Test plans are reusable collections of test cases that you assemble once and run repeatedly, for regression cycles, release checklists, or any scenario you'll execute more than once.

Overview

A test plan sits between your repository and your test runs. Instead of hand-picking cases every time you start a run, you define a plan that captures which cases (and entire suites) belong together. When it's time to test, you create a test run from the plan, and every case is already there.

Plans also carry assignee information. You can assign specific cases to team members when building the plan, and those assignments carry forward to every run created from it. This makes plans particularly valuable for teams with stable ownership of testing areas.

The key distinction: a plan is a template; a run is an execution. Plans don't hold results, runs do. You can create many runs from the same plan, each with its own results and timeline.

Creating a test plan

Navigate to the Test Plans section and click Create Test Plan.

Title — Name the plan after its purpose: "Sprint Regression," "Payments Release Checklist," or "Smoke Test — Production."
Description — Add context about when and why this plan should be run.

Selecting cases

After filling in the details, you'll choose which cases the plan includes:

Add individual cases — Expand a suite in the left panel and select specific cases
Add entire suites — Check the suite-level checkbox to include all its cases
Search — Use the search bar to find cases by title or ID across all suites

While selecting, you can assign cases to specific users. These assignments persist across all future runs built from this plan.

Confirm by clicking Create plan. The plan now appears in the Test Plans list with its case count, creation date, and last-updated timestamp.

Running from a plan

To execute a plan, create a new test run and select the plan as the source. All cases and assignments from the plan are pulled into the run automatically. You can still adjust the run before starting, add or remove cases, change assignees, or set configurations.

Once a run has been created from a plan, you'll see a Test Runs tab on the plan page showing every run built from it and their current status.

Editing plans and live runs

Changes to a plan can affect active runs that use it. Here's how it works:

Change	Active run, no results	Active run, results recorded	Completed run
Case added to plan	Case added to run	Case added to run	No change
Case removed from plan	Case removed from run	Case not removed	No change

The rule of thumb: Qase protects recorded work. If a case already has results in an active run, removing it from the plan won't erase those results.

Cloning and managing plans

Clone — Duplicate a plan with or without assignee information. Useful when creating a variant (e.g., a smoke test derived from a full regression plan).
Export — Export the plan's cases to XLSX format from the three-dot menu.
Bulk delete — Select multiple plans to delete them at once.

FAQ

When should I use a plan vs. selecting cases directly in a run?
Use a plan when you'll run the same set of cases more than once. If it's a one-off exploratory session, selecting cases directly in the run is faster. For recurring activities, sprint regression, release sign-off, smoke tests, plans save time and ensure consistency.

Can I add the same case to multiple plans?
Yes. A test case can belong to as many plans as you need. The case itself lives in the repository; plans just reference it.