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Apr
2015

Software Test Plan Framework

Posted in : Software Testing Skills

In this new age of rapid development models like Agile, we want to jump onto design and testing with good enough documentation instead of spending lifetime on it to make it perfect.

Though it makes perfect sense but we should not undermine the importance of quality of the contents in the Test Plan documents.

Test plan helps us to manage change. During early phases of the project, as we gather more information, we revise our plans. As the project evolves and situations change, we adapt our plans.

Updating the plan at major milestone helps us to keep testing aligned with the project needs. As we run the tests, we make final adjustments to our plans based on the results.

Test Plan – A document describing the scope, approach, resources, and schedule of intended testing activities. It recognizes test items, features to be tested, testing tasks, who will perform each task, and any risks requiring contingency planning.

The test plan is a by-product of the comprehensive planning process. The Purpose of a Test Plan is:

To advise the scope, approach, resources, and schedule of the testing actions.
To recognize the items being tested, the features to be tested, the testing tasks to be done, the personnel accountable for each task, and the risks related with the plan.

The final aim of the test planning procedure is to communicate the software test team’s purpose, its expectations, and understanding of the testing that is to be achieved.

The test planning process and the plan itself provides a platform to discuss with other members of the project team, testers, peers, managers and other stakeholders.

Also Read: Test Design, Test Case, Test Suite, Test Script

Test plan forces us to confront the challenges well in advance and we could focus our thinking on important topics.

It helps gain clarity on the requirements and their testability. Test plan once drafted must be reviewed by conducting review meetings.

Types of Test Plan:

Mission Plan – Usually 5-10 pages documents and contains explanation of “Why”.
Strategic Plan – Addresses “What” and “When”. Usually 15-20 pages document. They are seldom used by practicing testers and developers.
Tactical Plan – Addresses “How” and “Who”. Tactical plans are the most detailed of all plans. For example, a Tactical Plan would describe how each individual Unit will be tested.

Test plan helps us to think through the efforts needed to validate the acceptability of a software.

TEST PLAN OUTLINE

1) Test Plan Identifier

This is required to manage in coordinating software and test ware versions within configuration management.

This is no specific syntax to be followed, it depends on the organization.

Usually it has series number which identifies the release number, feature name and/or number, version number and it also maintains a history section to note the evolutions.

2) References

List all documents that support this test plan. Documents that can be referenced include:

Project Plan
Requirements specifications
High Level design document
Detail design document
Development and Test process standards
Methodology guidelines and examples

3) Introduction

It covers the purpose of the Plan.

4) Test Items

This section is for what is being tested, i.e. all the functions of a specific product, its existing interfaces, integration of all functions.

Includes Test Estimations (Time of tests, Budget etc.).

Test coverage in the test plan states what requirements will be verified during what stages of the product life. Test coverage for different product life stages may overlap, but will not necessarily be exactly the same for all stages.

5) Risks and Assumptions

Recognize the high-risk assumptions with the test plan, what are the components or resources which may be late or unavailable.

Specify contingency plans for each item, and provide an initial assessment on the impact of the risk, along with how likely it will be.

6) Features to be tested

It essentially covers the test items not from the technical point of view but from users perspective. It contains list of features to be tested with the severity and priority from users point of view.

7) Features not to be tested

This is a listing of what is not to be tested from technical and user view. It captures the reasons for the same.

8) Testing Approach

This is your overall test strategy for this test plan which covers overall rules and processes identified.

It answers:

Are there any special tools to be used and what are they?
Will the tool require special training?
What metrics will be collected?
At which level each metric is to be collected?
How is Configuration Management to be handled?
How many different configurations will be tested?
Hardware & Software requirements.
Combinations of HW, SW and other vendor packages
What levels of regression testing will be done and how much at each test level?
Will regression testing be based on severity of defects detected?

9) Item Pass/Fail Criteria

It basically covers the definition of done. It is the criteria based on which we decide if the plan is complete.

This could be an individual test case level criterion or a unit level plan or it can be general functional requirements for higher level plans.

10) Suspension Criteria and Resumption Requirements

If the defect density ratio is too high, sometimes it makes no sense to continue the test as there would not be enough time to get it fixed or quality might be too low for delivery.

Specify what constitutes stoppage for a test or series of tests and what is the acceptable level of defects that will allow the testing to proceed past the defects.

Identify what type of defects would be considered showstoppers.

11) Test Deliverables

Test Sign-Off Report – A report by the Test Team signifying all tests have been completed successfully and fulfills the requirements.
Test Incident Report – Details, for any test that failed, the actual against expected result, and other information projected to throw light on why a test has failed.
Test Case Documents – Series of simple steps that needs be done to check a particular functionality.
Test Plan Document – Describes the Strategy that is used to verify and to make sure that a product or system meets its design specifications and other requirements.
Test Strategy Document – This defines “Testing Approach” to attain testing purposes.
Traceability Matrix Document – Typically in the form of a table, that correlates two base-lined documents.
Schedule and Milestone –Estimates time to do each testing task and specifies the schedule to do each Testing task and Test Milestone. A milestone is an important event in the course of a project that is used to give visibility of progress in terms of achievement of predefined milestone goals. Failure to meet a milestone indicates that a project is not proceeding to plan and usually triggers corrective action by management.

12) Environmental Needs

Specify both the necessary and desired properties of the test environment.

The specification should contain the physical characteristics of the facilities, including the hardware, the communications and system software, the mode of usage (for example, stand-alone), and any other software or supplies needed to support the test.

Also specify the level of security which must be provided for the test facility, system software, and proprietary components such as software, data, and hardware.

13) Test Resources

Tools – Describes and identifies special test tools needed. Identifies any other testing needs. Identifies the source of all needs which are not currently available.

People – List of specific people carrying out the Test and their roles. Also needs to encounter constraints in staffing shortage.

15) Schedule

It is extremely important to get the estimates right, little deviation from the plan is acceptable, keyword here being ‘little’.

It should be based on realistic and validated estimates.

If estimates go haywire for design and they take more time, it is highly likely that project management would cut down on testing time

It usually comes down to the decision on what is the impact of delivering the solution if it is partially tested. How slippage in the schedule will be handled should also be addressed here.

Plan all test dates directly to their related development activity dates.

16) Planning Risks and Contingencies

Plan for various risks e.g.:

Lack of personnel resources when testing is to begin.
Lack of availability of required hardware, software, data or tools.
Late delivery of the software, hardware or tools.
Delays in training on the application and/or tools.
Changes to the original requirements or designs.

It should be captured in here, how such situations be handled when encountered.

17) Approvals

Determine the approval process keeping the audience in mind.

18) Glossary

Used to define terms and acronyms used in the document, and testing in general, to eliminate confusion and promote consistent communications.

There you go. These are most important aspect of test planning. Happy test planning !!

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