Master QA Skills: 15+ Manual Testing Projects with Source Code for Your Portfolio
Looking for testing code coverage training? Landing your first job in Quality Assurance (QA) or advancing your career often hinges on one critical factor: practical experience. While theoretical knowledge is essential, hiring managers want to see that you can apply testing principles to real-world software. This is where building a portfolio of manual testing projects becomes your most powerful asset. In this guide, we’ll explore over 15 actionable QA practice projects, complete with ideas for test cases, bug reports, and documentation you can create. These testing project examples are designed to be completed by anyone, providing the hands-on practice you need to build confidence and a standout portfolio.
Key Takeaway: A strong portfolio demonstrating real manual testing projects is often more valuable than a certification alone. It provides tangible proof of your analytical skills, attention to detail, and understanding of the software development lifecycle.
Why You Need a Portfolio of Manual Testing Projects
According to a survey by uTest, 78% of QA managers consider practical hands-on experience a top criterion when hiring entry-level testers. A portfolio bridges the gap between learning and doing. It allows you to:
- Demonstrate Practical Skills: Showcase your ability to write test cases, log bugs, and create test plans.
- Stand Out in Applications: Differentiate yourself from candidates who only list courses or certifications.
- Gain Confidence: Practice the complete testing workflow in a risk-free environment.
- Understand Real Applications: Move beyond textbook examples to test actual web and mobile applications.
How to Approach These Practice Projects
Treat each project as if you were a QA engineer hired to test the application. Follow a structured process:
- Understand the Application: Explore all features as an end-user would.
- Create Test Documentation: Develop a simple test plan outlining your scope and approach.
- Design Test Cases: Write detailed test cases covering functional, UI, and boundary value testing.
- Execute Tests & Log Bugs: Run your test cases and document any defects with clear steps, expected/actual results, and screenshots.
- Prepare a Summary Report: Summarize your testing activities, bug metrics, and conclusions.
15+ Manual Testing Project Ideas with Source Code
Here is a curated list of applications, ranging from simple to complex, that you can use for your portfolio projects. Many are open-source, meaning you can access their code, run them locally, and even understand the developer's perspective.
Category 1: E-Commerce & Retail Applications
E-commerce platforms are excellent for testing due to their complex workflows involving user accounts, payments, search, and inventory.
- Project 1: OpenCart
- Source: GitHub - OpenCart
- Focus Areas: Product search and filtering, shopping cart functionality, guest vs. user checkout, coupon code application, order history.
- Sample Test Case: "Verify that applying a 10% discount coupon reduces the cart total correctly."
- Project 2: Magento 2 (Demo)
- Source: Use the official Magento 2 demo instance.
- Focus Areas: Admin panel functionality (adding products), complex configurable products, tax and shipping rule calculations.
Category 2: Content Management Systems (CMS)
CMS projects teach you to test role-based access, content creation workflows, and formatting.
- Project 3: WordPress
- Source: WordPress.org
- Focus Areas: Post creation/editing (with different user roles: Admin, Editor, Author), plugin installation, theme switching, comment moderation.
- Project 4: Joomla!
- Source: Joomla! Downloads
- Focus Areas: Menu and module management, article versioning, user group permissions.
Category 3: Productivity & Utility Tools
These are perfect for practicing boundary value, negative, and usability testing.
- Project 5: Calculator App
- Source: Build a simple one using HTML/JS or test your OS's default calculator.
- Focus Areas: Arithmetic operations, error handling (e.g., division by zero), sequence of operations, UI clarity.
- Project 6: Todo List Application
- Source: Various Todo Apps on GitHub
- Focus Areas: CRUD operations (Create, Read, Update, Delete tasks), task filtering (All/Active/Completed), data persistence, input validation.
Pro Tip: Don't just test the "happy path." For the Todo app, try adding an extremely long task name, marking a completed task as active, or testing what happens if you clear the browser cache. These negative test cases are where critical bugs often hide.
Category 4: Social Media & Communication Platforms
Test real-time features, notifications, and complex user interactions.
- Project 7: Mattermost (Slack alternative)
- Source: GitHub - Mattermost
- Focus Areas: Channel creation and management, direct messaging, file uploads, @mentions and notifications.
Category 5: Banking & Finance Applications
Ideal for learning security, data integrity, and complex calculation testing.
- Project 8: Simple Banking Demo App
- Source: Search for "banking demo app GitHub" for numerous examples.
- Focus Areas: Fund transfer between accounts, transaction history, balance calculation, input validation for amount fields, error messages for insufficient funds.
Essential Documents to Create for Each Project
To make your portfolio professional, include these artifacts for at least 2-3 projects:
- Test Plan (High-Level): Define objectives, scope (in-scope/out-of-scope features), testing types, and pass/fail criteria.
- Test Cases: A spreadsheet or tool-based list with Test Case ID, Description, Preconditions, Test Steps, Test Data, Expected Result, Actual Result, and Status.
- Bug Reports: 3-5 detailed bug reports using a standard template (Title, Severity/Priority, Environment, Steps to Reproduce, Expected vs. Actual Result, Evidence).
- Test Summary Report: A one-page summary stating what was tested, bugs found, overall quality assessment, and any blockers.
Structuring your learning with a formal course can provide the foundational methodology to execute these projects effectively. Consider a program like the Manual Testing Fundamentals course to build a rock-solid base in test design and documentation.
From Manual to Automation: The Natural Progression
Once you've mastered several manual testing projects, the next step is to enhance your portfolio with automation. This makes you a highly competitive candidate. You can start by identifying repetitive test cases from your manual projects (e.g., login, form validation) and writing simple automation scripts for them.
- Example: Take the login test cases from your WordPress testing project. Use Selenium WebDriver with Python or Java to automate the process of logging in with valid and invalid credentials.
- Benefit: This shows initiative and an understanding of the full testing spectrum.
To seamlessly transition from manual to automated testing and become a full-stack QA professional, explore a comprehensive pathway like the Manual and Full-Stack Automation Testing course. It covers the essential tools and frameworks used in the industry today.
Showcasing Your Projects: Building a Winning Portfolio
Your work needs to be presented clearly. Create a simple website (using GitHub Pages, Wix, or WordPress) with the following sections:
- Project Overview: Brief description of the application under test.
- Your Role & Process: Explain your testing approach.
- Key Artifacts: Provide links to or screenshots of your test plan, a few sample test cases, and 1-2 anonymized bug reports.
- Results & Learning: Summarize what you found and what you learned.
Conclusion: Practice is the Key to Mastery
The journey to becoming a proficient QA analyst is built on consistent, hands-on practice. By working through these 15+ manual testing projects with source code, you will develop a keen eye for detail, a systematic approach to breaking software, and a portfolio that speaks louder than any resume bullet point. Start with a simple project like the Calculator or Todo app, document everything meticulously, and gradually tackle more complex systems like OpenCart or Mattermost. Remember, every bug you find and document is a step closer to your next QA role.