It is very important to create a test plan in software testing: this shows that the complex has all requirements necessary for its operation. Test plan is a document where it shows how to validate the software, resources should be available and time lines for that. For those reasons, a good test plan that lines up with the aims of your application is crucial in hunting down potential problems. This guide will walk you through how to create a test plan that works well and ensures successful software testing.
In software testing, the documentation describing a test plan is also called test specification. For instance, it might explain the type and volume of tests to be run; what each test is purposed for; which tools will be used (if at all); where results from these tests should go once they have been analysed. It is frequently updated during testing to reflect insights or new strategies.
A test plan is essential for several reasons. It is a communication tool between both the stakeholders and testing team members. This makes sure that everyone knows what to test, why test and how to do that. It will also detail how to report the test results, what is considered a pass or fail and any other criteria which may be relevant. It will also clearly state the anticipated results and ensure that testing happens as it should be. This is why you need to learn how to write a test plan.
Components of a Test Plan
A Test Plan is a detailed document that describes the test strategy, scope, objectives,resources to be tested and schedule of a testing process. Test plan is the basic component of software development and testing which ensures a way (Map) to perform tests. Key things in Test Plan are:
Test Goals: This part of the test plan must be set up to establish a concise objective scope for testing, listing which features and functionalities will be tested as well their requirements.
Scope and Approach: This section should detail what will be tested, the methods or approaches used, and how the testing will be conducted
.
Test Environment: This usually consists of the hardware, software and network configurations required for running a test along with third party tools if necessary.
Details and Resources: The plan should include information on what will be done, when it will be done, and the resources required. This includes deliverables such as test cases, scripts, and reports, as well as a schedule outlining the testing timeline with start and end dates.
Personnel and Equipment: The plan should identify the necessary personnel, equipment, and facilities needed to complete the tests.
Potential Problems: This section should list any potential issues that might arise during the testing process and how they will be addressed.
Approval: The test plan must have a clear approval process where all stakeholders and project team members agree on the testing goals and sign off on the plan.
There are three primary types of test plans:
Master Test Plan,Phase Test Plan,Specific Test Plan.
Master Test Plan: This type of plan encompasses multiple testing levels and includes a comprehensive test strategy. It serves as an overarching guide for all testing activities within a project.
Example: A software company is developing a new e-commerce platform. The Master Test Plan includes unit testing, integration testing, system testing, and user acceptance testing (UAT) to ensure the platform functions correctly from the smallest code units to the entire system.
Phase Test Plan: This plan is tailored to address a specific phase within the overall testing strategy. It focuses on the objectives and scope of a particular testing phase.
Example: During the development of the e-commerce platform, a Phase Test Plan might focus solely on integration testing, ensuring that different modules and services interact correctly with each other before moving on to system testing.
Specific Test Plan: This plan is explicitly designed for particular testing types, such as performance, security, or load testing. It focuses only on the non-functional aspects of the software.
Example: The e-commerce platform's performance test plan outlines how to test the system's responsiveness and stability under various load conditions, such as handling a large number of simultaneous users or processing high volumes of transactions.
“How long should the test plan be?” is a common question that comes up when one is planning to create a software test plan. But, there is no conclusive answer to this question.
Yet, it is apparent that large and complex applications would require a lot of context on the testing, and therefore, the document would be quite big. But no one wants to read a prolonged document, right? People will just run through the lines and might skip reading most parts. So, I would advise keeping the test plan within fifteen to twenty pages. The shorter the length, the more chances there are to read.
When developing a test plan, keep your audience in mind as well. By ignoring your audience, you are destined to lose touch with what they require and fail in sustaining their interest. However, I think it is important to tailor your writing appropriately—depending on who exactly the audience for which you are writing.
For example a technical focused audience might be lost with too much business speak, while on the flip side if tech details are lacking they may feel that plan just doesn't have enough detail. Finding that balance means communicating technical information so even the layman can grasp it.
In test planning, not all details will be highly technical. The rest of the plan should be accessible to all stakeholders, regardless of their roles. This underscores the importance of test plan reviews, especially those involving stakeholders.
Here are some key attributes of a test plan in software testing:
Conciseness: Keep sentences short and use bullet points for easy reading, as modern readers often skim through content.
Organisation: Start with a brief introduction and progressively detail the plan. Utilise test plan templates, standards, numbered sections, and sub-topics for clarity and easy reference.
Readability: Use plain language that is easily understood by everyone. Avoid using acronyms or complex terms to enhance readability.
Adaptability to Change: Anticipate potential changes that may occur due to future modifications in business requirements.
Accuracy: Ensure the information in the test plan is reliable. Promptly report and correct any identified errors.
The main goal of a test plan is to communicate the testing details effectively throughout the company. Therefore, keep it clear and simple to engage a broader audience.
Start with writing down the software to be tested, its purpose, and the requirements on the part of the user. You can, from that basis, decide on your testing strategy, objectives, criteria, resources, test environment, and schedule.
Step 1: Analyse the Product
Begin by thoroughly understanding the product—what it does, how it functions, and what users expect from it. This analysis helps identify the areas that need testing and determines the most effective types of tests. By recognizing potential problem areas, you can create a targeted testing plan.
Step 2: Develop a Test Strategy
Then, having regard to different parameters like type of testing, resources required, and schedule for testing, design one of the test strategies. Indeed, such a strategy would need to be tuned for a particular project with its general purposes, scope, and risks.
Define the Scope of Testing
Identify test objectives—what you want to achieve from your tests. Identify, based on your product description and requirement documents, which areas of your application are to be tested. Such areas may include functional areas of the application, features, and components.
Identify Testing Types
Different types of testing serve various purposes and have their own advantages and limitations. In your test plan, select the most appropriate types of testing for the application. Common types include:
Functional Testing: To be certain that all specified requirements are covered in the software, and it could also be performed manually or through automation tools.
Performance Testing: This is a testing process that assesses the software's speed and stability.
Security Testing: This exercise evaluates the vulnerability of the software to threats.
Compatibility Testing: This is the test for the software performance across different environments.
Usability Testing: This testing determines how user-friendly the software is.
The types of testing to be used are driven by the software's intended use and target audience.Typically, all software should undergo basic functional and performance testing before release.
Step 3: Define Test Objectives
Next, establish the test objectives, which are guided by the software’s purpose. Such objectives may be to check whether the software suits the user's requirements, find defects, or evaluate completeness. The objectives will, therefore, guide the type of tests to be run and the way the results will be analysed and reported.
Step 4: Define Test Criteria
After defining test objectives, determine the test criteria, which are the standards for judging whether a test passes or fails. These criteria should be specific to the type of test and clearly defined to prevent misunderstandings.
For instance, if testing data accuracy, you might set a specific accuracy percentage as the criterion. However, be aware that variations might occur due to environmental changes, such as differences in data sources between testing and development.
Suspension Criteria
Suspension criteria are conditions under which testing should be paused. This might occur if a critical bug is discovered, the scope changes, or other significant issues arise. Suspension criteria should be agreed upon by all stakeholders and clearly defined from the start to ensure consistent decision-making about when to pause and resume testing.
Exit Criteria
The exit criteria simply point out conditions that must be met for testing to be considered complete. This includes functional criteria related to the functionality of the system and non-functional criteria like performance, scalability, and security. Clearly defining the exit criteria at the front in the testing process lets everybody know exactly what must be attained. They should, however, be realisable, measurable, and relevant to the system under test.
Step 5: Resource Planning
Next, plan the resources needed for testing. Determine if internal or external resources will be required and their necessary skills and qualifications. For instance, if specific software is needed for testing and isn’t available, it could delay the process. The plan should also include safety requirements to avoid disruptions.
Human Resources
Human resource planning involves identifying the testers, developers, and other staff required for the testing process. The number and skills of resources needed will depend on the project’s size and complexity. Consider the skills and experience of team members when assigning tasks and include provisions for tracking progress and addressing resource gaps.
System Resources
Consider the system resources required for testing, such as hardware and software. Enumerate the various risks that could possibly be associated with this testing process and state what will be done to mitigate these risks.
Step 6: Plan Test Environment
Define all requirements for the test environment based on the kind of tests to be performed—functional, usability, or load testing. The test environment should be as close to the live environment as possible. This includes using real data, network connections, and other relevant factors.
What is the Test Environment?
The test environment is the setup where testing is conducted, encompassing the hardware, software, and other resources needed to facilitate the testing process.
How to Set Up the Test Environment
When setting up the test environment, consider the following key elements:
Step 7: Schedule & Estimation
Next, outline the testing schedule and estimate the time required for the testing process. Decide if the testing phase will align with the development phase or if it needs to be extended. Take into account factors such as software complexity, testing environment, and other relevant considerations.
Use software project management techniques to create the testing schedule and estimate testing costs. Provide a detailed plan for how these costs will be determined and managed.
Step 8: Test Deliverables
Finally, specify the test deliverables, which are the outputs of the testing process. These may include test reports, defect logs, and enhancement requests. Also, include a list of unsupported features, detailing what was not tested and why. Test deliverables should focus solely on testing-related information, distinct from the software deliverables.
Let’s discuss what each point means in the below section,
Introduction: An overview of the product under test, outlining all the functions at a high level.
Objectives and Tasks
Scope: Describe the scope of testing
Testing Strategy: Describe the overall testing approach. Specify the testing approach, the tools to use, and the major testing activities for testing.
Definition: An overview of the unit testing process for your project
Participants: Lists the individuals/departments conducting the testing.
Methodology: Describes how unit testing will be conducted.
Other Testing Types: Follow this above template (same as unit testing) for every other testing type.
Hardware Requirements: Lists required hardware like computers and modems.
Environment Requirements: List the software and hardware properties required for the testing environment.
Test Schedule: Include test milestones estimating time for each task.
Problem Reporting: Document the procedures to follow when an issue is encountered during testing.
Change Requests: If changes to the software modules have to be made, document it and share the feedback with the concerned team.
Features to Be Tested: Identify the features and functions to test.
Features Not to Be Tested: Identify the features and functions that will not be tested and provide reasons.
Resources/Roles & Responsibilities: Specify team roles and responsibilities for everyone involved in the testing.
Schedules: Lists deliverable documents, including test plan, test cases, test incident reports, and test summary reports.
Significantly Impacted Departments (SIDs): Lists departments, testers, business areas, and business managers impacted.
Dependencies: Identify significant constraints on testing, such as item and resource availability and deadline.
Risks/Assumptions: Identify high-risk assumptions and specify contingency plans.
Tools: List the test automation tools and bug tracking tools.
While the test plan itself is an important document needed to set a basis for the testing process, several other records are needed in order to create a comprehensive test plan. These include:
Requirements Specification: This is the document that enunciates all the functional and non-functional requirements of the software or system under test. The document also forms the basis for test objectives, thus defining how test cases will be designed.
Design Documents: It contains system architecture diagrams, software design specifications, and interface specifications. They offer insights into the software’s internal structure and help identify areas for testing.
Use Cases or User Stories: These describe typical user interactions and scenarios, providing a clear understanding of the system’s expected behaviour and helping to define test scenarios.
Test Strategy: This document outlines the overall testing approach, including test levels, techniques, and environment setup.
Test Estimation Document: This provides estimates of the effort, resources, and schedule needed for testing activities, assisting in effective planning and resource allocation.
Test Case Specifications: These detail individual test cases, including input values, expected results, and preconditions, serving as a guide for executing tests.
Defect Management Process: This document describes the procedures for reporting, tracking, and resolving defects discovered during testing.
Managing changes to the test plan is crucial for keeping the project on track. Here are steps to handle these changes effectively:
Identify the Source of the Change
Determine where the change originated. Understanding whether it's due to new requirements, defects, or other factors will help you decide if it needs immediate attention or if it can be addressed later.
Assess the Impact
Evaluate how the change will affect the current test plan. This includes determining the amount of additional work required, the potential impact on the testing schedule, and any resource adjustments needed.
Plan the Implementation
Decide on the process for implementing the change.
This way, you will be able to handle any changes in the test plan efficiently, and thus, potential test process changes do not become disruptive.
The professional creation of a detailed test plan is an adequate process to ensure that software is of high quality and reliability. Having gone through product analysis, strategy development, definition of objectives and criteria, and resource and environment planning, this shall be a well-grounded base for effective testing.
A clean process for changing the test plan, which identifies the source, assesses the impact, and plans the implementation, will help to keep your testing effort focused but flexible. Remember that a well-prepared test plan is a tool for guiding the testing process but also a way to control possible risks and help in achieving the project goals.
This can be facilitated by combining these practices for test process improvement, quality improvement of software, and delivering a product that meets user expectations and business requirements.