Solid
testing initiatives are built on strong foundations of
planning. The cornerstone of this foundation is a formal Test
Plan. The Test Plan documents the project objectives, scope, approach, and focuses on
verification and validation of the software. This QA phase is integral to
the Definition Phase (Functional Requirements and Technical
Requirements) and Design Phase (Functional Application Design, Task
Analysis and UI Design/Storyboards) of the project.
Here
are some key elements contained in a first-rate Test Plan:
-
Project
Overview
-
Reference
Procedures, Scripts and Plans
-
Limitations,
Exclusions and Assumptions
-
Summary
Project Schedule
-
Functional
Requirements
-
High
level plans for Regression
Testing,
Performance
Benchmarking, Stress/Load Testing
-
Test
Environment,
Test Tools
-
Operating
system and/or Browser Platforms
-
Test
Defect Resolution Methods
and Procedure
-
Acceptance
Criteria
-
Exit
Criteria
-
Project
Responsibilities
The resulting document will include the Test Plan for
each test phase component as well as the metrics, assumptions and
environment variables for each test situation.
