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QA Prompts: Templates That Actually Save Time

A good prompt isn’t a magic spell — it’s a well-scoped task. Break it into parts and you can assemble any request in a minute with a predictable result.

The formula

Role + Context + Task + Format + Constraints.

  • Role — “You’re a senior mobile QA engineer”.
  • Context — product, feature, stack, what’s already done.
  • Task — one, narrow, with a verb: “generate”, “find gaps”, “turn into”.
  • Format — table / JSON / Gherkin / list. The model holds structure well.
  • Constraints — region, versions, “no duplicates”, “negatives only”.

You don’t always need all five, but the more you give, the sharper the answer.

Seven working templates

1. Test cases from a feature

You’re a senior QA. Feature: [description]. Constraints: [platform, region, limits]. Generate test cases grouped by: positive / negative / boundary / security / network. Format — a table: # / steps / expected result. No duplicates.

2. Regression checklist

Build a regression checklist for [module]. Only what actually breaks when this area changes. Group by criticality. Short, one item per line.

3. Log / stacktrace analysis

Here’s a log [paste]. Find the root error, group the repeats, explain unfamiliar exceptions in plain words, and suggest what to check first.

4. Requirements review

Read these requirements [paste]. Find: contradictions, ambiguous wording, invalid assumptions, missing scenarios (errors, offline, permissions). Ask me questions where it’s unclear.

5. Bug report from notes

Turn my raw notes into a bug report: [notes]. Format: title / steps / actual / expected / environment / severity. If data is missing, flag what needs clarifying.

6. Test data and boundary values

Give a test-data set for the field [type: date / money / name]. Include: valid, boundary, invalid, attacks (injections, unicode, emoji), and local formats for [region].

7. Manual case → automated test

Convert this manual case into a Playwright test with Page Object: [case]. Selectors by data-testid, add explicit waits, no hardcoded delays. Point out where the test is fragile.

Techniques that raise quality

  • “Ask me questions.” Add “before answering, ask 3 clarifying questions” — the answer gets much sharper.
  • Iterate, don’t restart. Don’t start over — critique: “cases 3 and 5 duplicate, add an expired-session scenario”.
  • Show a desired example (few-shot). Give one case in the format you want; the rest will match.
  • Pin the format explicitly. “Table only, no intro” saves cleanup time.
  • Role narrows the tone. “You’re a security paranoid” yields a different case set than “you’re a junior QA”.

Anti-patterns

  • Too broad — “test the app”. The model spreads thin across the surface.
  • No context — it’ll invent your product and get it wrong.
  • Blind trust — run the code, verify facts and numbers, a confident tone proves nothing.
  • Real secrets in the prompt — no credentials, tokens, or user PII.

For how to fit this into a daily process, see How QA Should Work with Claude.