In our team, public test runs are a regular part of how we prepare for big releases. Here's exactly how it works for us.
A public test run is a format of manual testing where the team — or external participants — gets access to a single test run via a shared link and works through the test cases together.
How it's structured
- Prepare the test run — create it in the test management system, add the relevant test cases, and open access via a shared link.
- Bring in participants — share the link with developers, analysts, and sometimes other teams who can help with coverage.
- Run it together — each participant picks up test cases, executes them, marks results as Passed or Failed, and leaves a comment when something goes wrong.
- Get the results — broad functional coverage, a prioritized bug list, and a clear shared sense of product quality before going live.
We started using this format because we needed a faster way to validate large scopes of functionality before a release. Public test runs turned out to be exactly that — and I'm glad our test management system supports it out of the box.
Two things we noticed over time: comments in test cases often provide more signal than the pass/fail status itself. And this format is surprisingly good at surfacing UX issues, not just functional bugs.
We use this specifically for major releases where a lot needs to be checked quickly. It helps us move faster, keep the whole team aligned, and ship with more confidence.
What techniques do you use to test before big releases? Would love to hear what works for your team 👇