Test Strategy Document

Test Strategy Document

Test Strategy is a software testing concept where the approach to be taken before testing any kind of application is decided or a “Strategy” is made in order to achieve best possible results. Test Strategy Document is often developed by Test Managers or Project Managers.

We may ask the question why Test Strategy is required. Let’s consider an example, where we want to construct a new house. Now construction can happen in many possible ways. But what construction methodology will yield a better result is derived from a better “Strategy”. Once the Strategy is made, Plan will be made based on the strategy for execution.

In a similar way, a Project manager wants the best result out of the project he is going to handle. He will set the standards, activities and testing processes from which good results can be obtained.

A Test Strategy Document will have the following sections. It’s not a hard rule list that every company will follow the same method but this list will only give a fair idea about the document.

Test Strategy Document

Test Strategy Document

1. Introduction to an application under test. 

This section will give a brief introduction to the application. Ex: Gmail is a new application which will provide email services.

2. Scope and Objective of the application testing.

Before testing anything we should know what to test and why to test. The scope will tell us what to test and objective will tell us why to test. Ex: Scope of testing is to test Login functionality, the objective is to provide email services to unique users.

3. Roles and Responsibilities: 

Each member of the QA team is supposed to handle different roles and responsibilities. Here Project manager decides who will handle what roles and responsibilities. Who will report to whom etc? Ex: Testers will write test cases. Test leads will review the test cases.

4. Communication and Status Deliveries:

Managers will decide what type of communications should happen on a periodic basis. If the communication is not happening on a daily basis, there is a risk of delayed communication of important issues. Managers often saw daily communications and status deliveries to avoid any risk related to project deliverables.

5. Test Deliverables:

What are the deliverables that are expected from the project team? For ex: Deliverables from a QA team include software components certifications and related documents like test plan, test cases, results, etc.

6. Industry standards:

What industry standards can be followed which will suit the current project requirements. Here Managers will decide testing models and procedures which suit the project in a best possible way.

7. Software tools and automation:

Based on the project, what software tools can be used for configuration, defect tracking, automation etc.

8. Metrices:

What metrices should be used in the project to analyze the project status.

9. Risks and Mitigation:

Managers can forecast what kind of risks and mitigation could hamper the project and what alternative workarounds can be arranged so that project won’t suffer any delays.

10. Training Plan:

Managers will decide what kind of training plans can be given and when to give them to resources. This may depend on various factors like domain, the technology used etc.

Summary: Test Strategy document outlines the best methodologies and procedures to be followed in order to achieve best possible results from a Testing Project. This document is bench marked and does not usually change throughout the project life cycle but remains as a static document.


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