diff --git a/cmd/kubernetesDeploy.go b/cmd/kubernetesDeploy.go
index 641bac18e..32ffcbee7 100644
--- a/cmd/kubernetesDeploy.go
+++ b/cmd/kubernetesDeploy.go
@@ -36,18 +36,30 @@ func kubernetesDeploy(config kubernetesDeployOptions, telemetryData *telemetry.C
 	}
 	// reroute stderr output to logging framework, stdout will be used for command interactions
 	c.Stderr(log.Writer())
-	runKubernetesDeploy(config, &c, log.Writer())
-}
 
-func runKubernetesDeploy(config kubernetesDeployOptions, command command.ExecRunner, stdout io.Writer) {
-	if config.DeployTool == "helm" || config.DeployTool == "helm3" {
-		runHelmDeploy(config, command, stdout)
-	} else {
-		runKubectlDeploy(config, command)
+	// error situations should stop execution through log.Entry().Fatal() call which leads to an os.Exit(1) in the end
+	err := runKubernetesDeploy(config, &c, log.Writer())
+	if err != nil {
+		log.Entry().WithError(err).Fatal("step execution failed")
 	}
 }
 
-func runHelmDeploy(config kubernetesDeployOptions, command command.ExecRunner, stdout io.Writer) {
+func runKubernetesDeploy(config kubernetesDeployOptions, command command.ExecRunner, stdout io.Writer) error {
+	if config.DeployTool == "helm" || config.DeployTool == "helm3" {
+		return runHelmDeploy(config, command, stdout)
+	} else if config.DeployTool == "kubectl" {
+		return runKubectlDeploy(config, command)
+	}
+	return fmt.Errorf("Failed to execute deployments")
+}
+
+func runHelmDeploy(config kubernetesDeployOptions, command command.ExecRunner, stdout io.Writer) error {
+	if len(config.ChartPath) <= 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("chart path has not been set, please configure chartPath parameter")
+	}
+	if len(config.DeploymentName) <= 0 {
+		return fmt.Errorf("deployment name has not been set, please configure deploymentName parameter")
+	}
 	_, containerRegistry, err := splitRegistryURL(config.ContainerRegistryURL)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Entry().WithError(err).Fatalf("Container registry url '%v' incorrect", config.ContainerRegistryURL)
@@ -184,10 +196,10 @@ func runHelmDeploy(config kubernetesDeployOptions, command command.ExecRunner, s
 	if err := command.RunExecutable("helm", upgradeParams...); err != nil {
 		log.Entry().WithError(err).Fatal("Helm upgrade call failed")
 	}
-
+	return nil
 }
 
-func runKubectlDeploy(config kubernetesDeployOptions, command command.ExecRunner) {
+func runKubectlDeploy(config kubernetesDeployOptions, command command.ExecRunner) error {
 	_, containerRegistry, err := splitRegistryURL(config.ContainerRegistryURL)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Entry().WithError(err).Fatalf("Container registry url '%v' incorrect", config.ContainerRegistryURL)
@@ -261,6 +273,7 @@ func runKubectlDeploy(config kubernetesDeployOptions, command command.ExecRunner
 		log.Entry().Debugf("Running kubectl with following parameters: %v", kubeApplyParams)
 		log.Entry().WithError(err).Fatal("Deployment with kubectl failed.")
 	}
+	return nil
 }
 
 func splitRegistryURL(registryURL string) (protocol, registry string, err error) {
diff --git a/cmd/kubernetesDeploy_generated.go b/cmd/kubernetesDeploy_generated.go
index e6e7fb54c..6b692e75a 100644
--- a/cmd/kubernetesDeploy_generated.go
+++ b/cmd/kubernetesDeploy_generated.go
@@ -119,13 +119,13 @@ func addKubernetesDeployFlags(cmd *cobra.Command, stepConfig *kubernetesDeployOp
 	cmd.Flags().StringSliceVar(&stepConfig.AdditionalParameters, "additionalParameters", []string{}, "Defines additional parameters for \"helm install\" or \"kubectl apply\" command.")
 	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&stepConfig.APIServer, "apiServer", os.Getenv("PIPER_apiServer"), "Defines the Url of the API Server of the Kubernetes cluster.")
 	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&stepConfig.AppTemplate, "appTemplate", os.Getenv("PIPER_appTemplate"), "Defines the filename for the kubernetes app template (e.g. k8s_apptemplate.yaml)")
-	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&stepConfig.ChartPath, "chartPath", os.Getenv("PIPER_chartPath"), "Defines the chart path for deployments using helm.")
+	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&stepConfig.ChartPath, "chartPath", os.Getenv("PIPER_chartPath"), "Defines the chart path for deployments using helm. It is a mandatory parameter when `deployTool:helm` or `deployTool:helm3`.")
 	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&stepConfig.ContainerRegistryPassword, "containerRegistryPassword", os.Getenv("PIPER_containerRegistryPassword"), "Password for container registry access - typically provided by the CI/CD environment.")
 	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&stepConfig.ContainerRegistryURL, "containerRegistryUrl", os.Getenv("PIPER_containerRegistryUrl"), "http(s) url of the Container registry where the image to deploy is located.")
 	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&stepConfig.ContainerRegistryUser, "containerRegistryUser", os.Getenv("PIPER_containerRegistryUser"), "Username for container registry access - typically provided by the CI/CD environment.")
 	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&stepConfig.ContainerRegistrySecret, "containerRegistrySecret", `regsecret`, "Name of the container registry secret used for pulling containers from the registry.")
 	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(&stepConfig.CreateDockerRegistrySecret, "createDockerRegistrySecret", false, "Only for `deployTool:kubectl`: Toggle to turn on `containerRegistrySecret` creation.")
-	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&stepConfig.DeploymentName, "deploymentName", os.Getenv("PIPER_deploymentName"), "Defines the name of the deployment.")
+	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&stepConfig.DeploymentName, "deploymentName", os.Getenv("PIPER_deploymentName"), "Defines the name of the deployment. It is a mandatory parameter when `deployTool:helm` or `deployTool:helm3`.")
 	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&stepConfig.DeployTool, "deployTool", `kubectl`, "Defines the tool which should be used for deployment.")
 	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(&stepConfig.ForceUpdates, "forceUpdates", true, "Helm only: force resource updates with helm parameter `--force`")
 	cmd.Flags().IntVar(&stepConfig.HelmDeployWaitSeconds, "helmDeployWaitSeconds", 300, "Number of seconds before helm deploy returns.")
@@ -139,9 +139,7 @@ func addKubernetesDeployFlags(cmd *cobra.Command, stepConfig *kubernetesDeployOp
 	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&stepConfig.Namespace, "namespace", `default`, "Defines the target Kubernetes namespace for the deployment.")
 	cmd.Flags().StringVar(&stepConfig.TillerNamespace, "tillerNamespace", os.Getenv("PIPER_tillerNamespace"), "Defines optional tiller namespace for deployments using helm.")
 
-	cmd.MarkFlagRequired("chartPath")
 	cmd.MarkFlagRequired("containerRegistryUrl")
-	cmd.MarkFlagRequired("deploymentName")
 	cmd.MarkFlagRequired("deployTool")
 	cmd.MarkFlagRequired("image")
 }
@@ -189,7 +187,7 @@ func kubernetesDeployMetadata() config.StepData {
 						ResourceRef: []config.ResourceReference{},
 						Scope:       []string{"PARAMETERS", "STAGES", "STEPS"},
 						Type:        "string",
-						Mandatory:   true,
+						Mandatory:   false,
 						Aliases:     []config.Alias{{Name: "helmChartPath"}},
 					},
 					{
@@ -254,7 +252,7 @@ func kubernetesDeployMetadata() config.StepData {
 						ResourceRef: []config.ResourceReference{},
 						Scope:       []string{"PARAMETERS", "STAGES", "STEPS"},
 						Type:        "string",
-						Mandatory:   true,
+						Mandatory:   false,
 						Aliases:     []config.Alias{{Name: "helmDeploymentName"}},
 					},
 					{
diff --git a/cmd/kubernetesDeploy_test.go b/cmd/kubernetesDeploy_test.go
index 5f257344e..a8bf40062 100644
--- a/cmd/kubernetesDeploy_test.go
+++ b/cmd/kubernetesDeploy_test.go
@@ -293,6 +293,50 @@ func TestRunKubernetesDeploy(t *testing.T) {
 		}, e.Calls[0].Params, "Wrong upgrade parameters")
 	})
 
+	t.Run("test helm v3 - fails without chart path", func(t *testing.T) {
+		opts := kubernetesDeployOptions{
+			ContainerRegistryURL:    "https://my.registry:55555",
+			ContainerRegistrySecret: "testSecret",
+			DeploymentName:          "deploymentName",
+			DeployTool:              "helm3",
+			ForceUpdates:            true,
+			HelmDeployWaitSeconds:   400,
+			IngressHosts:            []string{},
+			Image:                   "path/to/Image:latest",
+			AdditionalParameters:    []string{"--testParam", "testValue"},
+			KubeContext:             "testCluster",
+			Namespace:               "deploymentNamespace",
+		}
+		e := mock.ExecMockRunner{}
+
+		var stdout bytes.Buffer
+
+		err := runKubernetesDeploy(opts, &e, &stdout)
+		assert.EqualError(t, err, "chart path has not been set, please configure chartPath parameter")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("test helm v3 - fails without deployment name", func(t *testing.T) {
+		opts := kubernetesDeployOptions{
+			ContainerRegistryURL:    "https://my.registry:55555",
+			ContainerRegistrySecret: "testSecret",
+			ChartPath:               "path/to/chart",
+			DeployTool:              "helm3",
+			ForceUpdates:            true,
+			HelmDeployWaitSeconds:   400,
+			IngressHosts:            []string{},
+			Image:                   "path/to/Image:latest",
+			AdditionalParameters:    []string{"--testParam", "testValue"},
+			KubeContext:             "testCluster",
+			Namespace:               "deploymentNamespace",
+		}
+		e := mock.ExecMockRunner{}
+
+		var stdout bytes.Buffer
+
+		err := runKubernetesDeploy(opts, &e, &stdout)
+		assert.EqualError(t, err, "deployment name has not been set, please configure deploymentName parameter")
+	})
+
 	t.Run("test helm v3 - no force", func(t *testing.T) {
 		opts := kubernetesDeployOptions{
 			ContainerRegistryURL:    "https://my.registry:55555",
diff --git a/resources/metadata/kubernetesdeploy.yaml b/resources/metadata/kubernetesdeploy.yaml
index 8b12e410c..1a8e88bcb 100644
--- a/resources/metadata/kubernetesdeploy.yaml
+++ b/resources/metadata/kubernetesdeploy.yaml
@@ -76,8 +76,7 @@ spec:
         aliases:
           - name: helmChartPath
         type: string
-        description: Defines the chart path for deployments using helm.
-        mandatory: true
+        description: Defines the chart path for deployments using helm. It is a mandatory parameter when `deployTool:helm` or `deployTool:helm3`.
         scope:
           - PARAMETERS
           - STAGES
@@ -151,8 +150,7 @@ spec:
         aliases:
           - name: helmDeploymentName
         type: string
-        description: Defines the name of the deployment.
-        mandatory: true
+        description: Defines the name of the deployment. It is a mandatory parameter when `deployTool:helm` or `deployTool:helm3`.
         scope:
           - PARAMETERS
           - STAGES