What is a Test Strategy?

A plan to define the testing approach,what needs to be accomplished and how to achieve the objective.

What is Test Strategy document?

It is a high level document and is usually developed by a project manager. This document defines -Software Testing Approach, to achieve testing objectives. The Test Strategy is normally derived from the Business Requirement Specification document.It sets the standards for testing processes and activities.This document removes all uncertainty or vague requirement statements with a clear plan of approach for achieving the test objectives. Test strategy is one of the most important documents for QA team.

Major sections of a Test strategy document:-

1 – Scope and Overview:

This section provides the project overview along with information on who should use this document. This also include details like who will review and approve this document. Define testing activities and phases to be carried out with timelines with respect to overall project timelines defined in test plan.

2 – Test Approach:

In this section we define the testing process, level of testing, roles and responsibilities of every team member. For every test type defined in test plan (e.g. unit, integration, system, regression, installation/uninstallation, usability, load, performance, and security testing) describe why it should be conducted along with details like when to start, test owner, responsibilities, testing approach and details of automation strategy and tool if applicable.

3 – Test Environment:

Test environment setup should outline information about number of environments and required setup for each environment. We should define the number of users supported on each environment, access roles for each user, software and hardware requirements like operating system, memory, free disk space, number of systems etc.

Defining test data requirements is equally important. We should provide clear instruction on how to create test data.

Also, define test data backup and restore strategy. Test environment database may run into problems due to unhandled conditions in the code. Backup and restore process should define who will take backups, when to take backup, what to include in backup, when to restore database, who will restore it and data masking steps to be followed if database is restored.

4 – Testing Tools:

Define test management and automation tools required for test execution. For performance, load and security testing describe the test approach and tools required. Mention whether it is open source or commercial tool and how many users are supported on it and plan accordingly.

5 – Release Control:

Release management plan with proper version history will ensure test execution of all modifications in that release.

E.g. set build management process which will answer – where new build should made available, where it should be deployed, when to get new build, from where to get the production build etc.

6 – Risk Analysis:

Here,List all risks that you envision.  Provide a clear plan to mitigate these risks and also a contingency plan in case if you see these risks in reality.

7 – Review and Approvals:

When all these activities are defined in test strategy plan it needs to be reviewed for sign-off by all entities involved like project management, business team, development team and system administration (or environment management) team. Summary of review changes should be tracked at the beginning of the document along with approver name, date and comment. Also it’s a living document meaning this should be continuously reviewed and updated with the testing process enhancements.

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