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Test the work you need your software to do.
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- One internal requestIT-101 goes from requester to handler, with a rule, a private note and an export.
- Rights, not screenshotsTwo test accounts show what each role can really see.
- A sheet per productEssential requirements first, every blocked test with its reason.
Your plan lives only in this page. Reloading or closing the page clears it: download your results to continue later.
- 1 Shortlist
- 2 Requirements
- 3 Test plan
- 4 Decision sheet
How the test drive works
Workflow and service desk tools look alike in a demo. The differences show when a request moves between people: who gets told, what a requester can see, whether a rule routes only what it should, and whether the history survives. This test drive walks one fictional access request through that route.
You need two test accounts, a requester and a handler, for the tests about notifications and private notes. Without them those tests are recorded as blocked, not as failures of the product.
Record each result as you go. The decision sheet keeps essential requirements apart from the rest and never turns them into one number.
The six tests for team workflow software
Find out whether team software hands a request over with the right rights and a traceable history. Test version 1.0, test data version 1.0.
Test 1: Capture the request
Check that a request arrives complete and can be found again.
- Create IT-101 as the requester.
- Try to submit a second request without a category.
- Search for IT-101.
Passes when: IT-101 exists once, with its title and category. The request without a category is refused or clearly flagged. The search finds IT-101.
Test 2: Assign and notify
Check that the handler sees the work and nobody else is told.
- Assign IT-101 to the handler account.
- Sign in as the handler and open the task list.
- Check which other users received a notification.
Passes when: The handler sees IT-101 in their list. No other user received a notification.
Test 3: Keep private work private
Check that an internal note stays hidden from the requester.
- Add the internal note to IT-101.
- Sign in as the requester and open IT-101.
Passes when: The requester cannot see the internal note anywhere, including notifications.
Test 4: Run one rule
Check that a simple rule routes the right requests and leaves the others alone.
- Create IT-103.
- Create IT-102.
- Check who each request is assigned to.
Passes when: IT-103 is assigned to Access. IT-102 is not assigned to Access.
Test 5: Complete and trace
Check that status changes are kept and the hand-over can be traced.
- Move IT-101 from open to in_progress.
- Move it to done.
- Open the history or activity log of IT-101.
Passes when: IT-101 shows the status done. The history shows both changes and who made them.
Test 6: Export the work
Check that an export carries what you would need elsewhere.
- Export the three requests.
- Open the file and look for ID, status, owner, notes and rights.
Passes when: The export holds ID, status and owner for all three requests. Missing fields are written down one by one.
Test data: three fictional internal requests
IT-102 is the control request: a working rule leaves it alone. All of it is fictional.
| id | category | title | status |
|---|---|---|---|
| IT-101 | access | Access to demo workspace | open |
| IT-102 | equipment | Demo keyboard request | open |
| IT-103 | access | Remove demo access | open |
Service desk tools we are researching for this test drive
Freshservice
Product-specific steps: not ready. A source check on 28 September 2026 left open questions about plan limits and documented steps, so the general tests above apply to Freshservice as to any other product.
What the test drive does not do
- It does not operate your software. You carry out every step yourself, in your own test set-up.
- It does not rate or rank products, and it adds no score. Each product keeps its own results.
- It does not send anything. The sample contacts use example.invalid addresses, which cannot receive email.
- It keeps your plan only in this page. Download your results to continue later; nothing is stored elsewhere.
- A passed test drive is not a verdict on reliability, security, scale or legal compliance.
Questions about the test drive
Why two test accounts?
Because a preview switch shows what the tool thinks a role sees. Signing in as that role shows what it actually sees. Tests 2 and 3 are blocked without them.
A rule is only on a higher plan. Is that a failure?
Record it as blocked, unavailable in this plan. The supplier questions on the decision sheet then ask which plan includes it.
Does the export test cover a full migration?
No. It checks that one small export keeps ID, status, owner and notes. A full move of years of history needs its own trial.
Tests written and maintained by Daniel Haket. Version 1.0 of 2026-09-29: First version, from the build plan of 28 September 2026.