What is Test Plan in Software Testing?

What is Test Plan?

The Test Plan is a formal document that describes our strategy or approach of testing the software.

• Creation is essential for Effective Testing.
• Should consume about 1/3 of total Test Efforts.
• If the plan is developed carefully, Test Execution, analysis and reporting activities will run smoothly.

When to plan the Tests?

•  Requirements must be base lined.
• The development plan should be ready and reviewed by the project manager.

How to make Effective Test Plan?

•  Start Early
• Keep it Flexible
• Review to it Often
• Keep it Short and Readable.
• Calculate the Planning efforts
• Spend necessary time to complete the Plan

What is included in Test Plan?

1. Test Plan Identifier
2. References
3. Introduction
4. Test Items
5. Software Risk Issues
6. Features to be tested
7. Features not to be Tested
8. Approach
9. Item Pass/ Fail Criteria
10. Suspend/ Resume Criteria
11. Test Deliverables
12. Test Environments
13. Staffing and Training need
14. Responsibilities
15. Schedule
16. Risk and Contingencies
17. Approvals

How to write Test Plan?

Test Plan Identifier: ABC 1.1
References: Software Requirement Specification & Business Requirement Specification

Introduction :

• Brief Summary of Test Plan
• Describe level of test plan (master/system)
• Reason for Test Plan

Test Items :

• Login Page
• Home Page
• Create Order
• Check Order
• Delete Order etc…

Software Risk Issues :

• Third Party Components
• Requirement Changing Frequently
• Rules & regulation
• Ability to use Tool

Features to be Tested : 

• Login Page
• Home Page
• Create Order
• Check Order
• Delete Order

Features not to be Tested : 

• Help Menu
• Extra Options

Approach : 

• Automation
• Manual

Item Pass/ Fail Criteria : 

• 90% Test Case should be passed
• 100% severity clear

Suspend/ Resume Criteria : (when to pause testing)

• Requirements Changing
• High Priority

Test Deliverables : (The documents which we send to next phases)

• Design Documents
• Test Documents and so on

Test Environments : (Production Environments)

• Tools
• Hardware
• Software

Staffing and Training : 

• Resource Staff
• Give training on domain knowledge

Responsibilities : 

• Test Lead: Control & Monitor working process
• Senior Test Engineer: Writing Test Cases & Defect Report
• Junior Test Engineer: Execute Test Cases

Schedule : 

Risk and Contingencies : 

• Third Party Software
• Product Release Risks

Approvals 

• Created By –
• Date & Time –

Also Check:

• Examples of Test Plan 
• Software Requirement Document
• What is Configuration Management