Software testing is always driven by a test plan.Hence, all the activities that are performed in the entire project are combined together in the test plan document. The Test plan acts like a source for designing, execution, reporting and tracking the project related activities. We may wonder over a few questions which are related to the test plan document likewise What needs to be tested, how are we going to test , why we need to test, when we need to start the testing and Are there any risks involved? So, the Test plan defines the scope,approach, resources, responsibilities, effort estimation and risks management of a software project. Brief introduction of the test strategies, process, workflow and methodologies used for the project Scope defines the features, functional or non-functional requirements of the software that will be tested. Out Of Scope defines the features, functional or non-functional requirements of the software that will NOT be tested In this mention of the overall objective that you plan to achieve with your testing Some objectives of your testing project could be Ensure the Application Under Test conforms to functional and non-functional requirements. Ensure the AUT meets the quality specifications defined by the client. Bugs/issues are identified and fixed before go live. Detail description of the Roles and responsibilities of different team members like QA Analyst Test Manager Configuration Manager Developers Installation Team Mention the reason of adopting a particular test methodology for the project. The test methodology selected for the project could be WaterFall Iterative Agile, etc Test Levels define the Types of Testing to be executed on the Application Under Test (AUT). The Testing Levels primarily depends on the scope of the project, time and budget constraints. The goal of the triage is to To define the type of resolution for each bug To prioritize bugs and determine a schedule for all "To Be Fixed Bugs'. Here you define the criterias that will deem your testing complete. For instance, a few criteria to check Test Completeness would be 100% test coverage All Manual & Automated Test cases executed All open bugs are fixed or will be fixed in next release Here mention all the Test Artifacts that will be delivered during different phases of the testing lifecycle. Test Plan Test Cases Requirements Traceability Matrix Bug Reports Customer sign off Make a list of Tools like Requirements Tracking Tool Bug Tracking Tool Automation Tools It mentions the minimum hardware requirements that will be used to test the Application. Following software's are required in addition to client-specific software. Windows 8 and above Office 2013 and above MS Exchange, etc. 5) Risks/Assumptions Identify the high-risk assumptions of the test plan. Specify contingency plans for each (for example, delay in delivery of test items might require increased night shift scheduling to meet the delivery date). 6) Approvals Specify the names and titles of all persons who must approve this plan. Provide space for the signatures and dates. About the Author Sanah , has 6 years of experience in the field of software quality. She has worked with various MNC’s in this short span of time and has been awarded with various awards. She is ISTQB certified and is currently residing in Arizona, USA. When she is not ensuring an application is release defect free she likes to cuddle up dogs at the puppies meet or catch up movies What is a Test Plan?
Main Components of a Test Plan
1) Introduction
1.1) Scope
1.1.1) In Scope
1.1.2) Out of Scope
1.2) Quality Objective
1.3) Roles and Responsibilities
2) Test Methodology
2.1) Overview
2.2) Test Levels
2.3) Bug Triage
2.4) Test Completeness
3) Test Deliverables
4) Resource & Environment Needs
4.1) Testing Tools
4.2) Test Environment