Exploratory Testing in Azure DevOps: Complete Guide

Exploratory testing in Azure DevOps is supported by the Test & Feedback browser extension — a Chrome extension that lets testers capture bugs, notes, screenshots, and videos during unscripted testing sessions, all automatically synced to Azure DevOps.

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Installing Test & Feedback

1. Go to the Chrome Web Store and search "Azure Test & Feedback"
2. Install the Microsoft extension
3. Click the extension icon → Settings → Connected mode
4. Enter your Azure DevOps organisation URL and sign in

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Starting an exploratory session

Click the extension icon and click Start session. Optionally:

• Set a session name: "Checkout flow — new payment gateway"
• Link to a work item: the user story or feature being explored
• Set a time limit: useful for time-boxed sessions

The extension records the start time and tracks your session duration.

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Capturing during exploration

While browsing the application:

Bug: Click the bug icon → screenshot is automatically captured → add title, expected vs actual, severity. The bug is created in Azure DevOps immediately.

Note/Observation: Click the note icon → add text. Observations that aren't bugs but might become test cases.

Task/Suggestion: Click the task icon → capture an improvement idea.

Screenshot annotation: Use the built-in annotation tool to circle, highlight, or draw on screenshots before attaching.

Video recording: Click record → captures a screen recording. Attach it to a bug for complex repro paths.

All captures are timestamped and linked to the session.

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Ending the session and generating the report

1. Click the extension icon → Stop session
2. Choose: Create work items (creates all captured items in Azure DevOps) or Discard session
3. The session report is generated automatically

The report shows:

Session: Checkout — Payment Gateway
Duration: 47 minutes
Tester: Jane Smith
Linked work item: Feature #215 (Payment Gateway)

Bugs found: 3
  #901: Payment fails silently when card network is down (P2)
  #902: Loading spinner never stops on timeout (P3)
  #903: Success page shows wrong currency symbol for EUR (P2)

Notes: 5
  - 3DS confirmation flow takes 4+ seconds — performance concern
  - No indication of payment attempt count before lockout
  ...

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Session-based test management (SBTM)

Structure exploratory testing as timed sessions with a charter:

Charter: "Explore the checkout flow with focus on edge cases 
          around payment method switching"
Duration: 60 minutes
Tester: Jane Smith
Area: Checkout / Payment Methods

Use the session report to track:

• Time spent on exploration vs bug investigation vs setup
• Defect discovery rate (bugs per hour)
• Coverage areas visited

Over multiple sessions, you build a picture of which areas are well-explored and which have gaps.

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Integrating exploratory findings into test plans

Bugs found during exploratory testing often reveal gaps in scripted test cases:

1. After the session, review each bug
2. Ask: "Should there be a scripted test case for this?"
3. Create the test case and link it to the relevant user story
4. Add tag: found-in-exploratory

Notes from the session become test case ideas. Convert the most important ones into formal test cases so the scenario is tested in every future regression cycle.

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Common errors and fixes

Error: Extension can't connect to Azure DevOps Fix: Check that you're using Connected mode (not standalone). The organisation URL must exactly match your Azure DevOps URL format: https://dev.azure.com/orgname.

Error: Screenshots are low resolution in the bug report Fix: The extension captures at your screen's native resolution. If screenshots look blurry in Azure DevOps, check your display scaling settings (Windows scaling above 100% can cause issues).

Error: Session report is empty after stopping the session Fix: You must choose Create work items when stopping the session. Choosing Discard deletes all captures. There's no recovery after discarding.

Error: Bugs from exploratory session appear in wrong area path Fix: Set the default work item settings in the extension under Settings → Area Path / Iteration. These default values apply to all items captured in sessions.