In this series, we will examine the role of a software test plan, its mission in relation to our projects, refute resistance to its development, its components of it, and how to implement one.

Test Plan Overview

Creating a software test plan is one of the most fundamental principles and building blocks in software testing. But, with the advent of streamlined life cycle processes, such as Agile and DevOps, it has become a forgotten principle. The idea of committing the time and resources to the creation of test plans and other forms of test documentation is often minimized or ignored altogether. This is an unfortunate turn of events because there is tremendous value in a test plan that can greatly benefit all projects, regardless of the lifecycle.

To create a QA test plan, you can follow these core steps:

• Define Testing Objectives: Clearly outline the goals and objectives of the testing process, specifying what needs to be achieved through testing.

• Identify Testing Scope: Determine the scope of testing, including the features, functionalities, and components that will be tested.

• Develop Test Strategy: Create a strategy that outlines the approach to be used for testing, including the types of testing (e.g., functional, performance, security), tools, and techniques.

• Design Test Cases and Scenarios: Develop detailed test cases and scenarios that cover all aspects of the software, ensuring comprehensive test coverage.

• Allocate Resources: Identify the resources needed for testing, including personnel, testing environments, and testing tools.

• Define Responsibilities: Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of the testing team members, specifying who will be responsible for each aspect of testing.

• Create Test Schedule: Establish a timeline for testing activities, including milestones, deadlines, and dependencies.

Review and Approve: Ensure that the test plan is reviewed and approved by all stakeholders before proceeding with testing activities.

Test Plan Resistance

It is not an uncommon occurrence to hear QA testers and QA managers quoted as saying things like “We don’t create test plans because we’ve implemented Agile” or, the statement “We don’t have enough time for test plans.” The reality is that no matter the lifecycle approach that you have implemented, a test plan is the most valuable tool in your arsenal to guarantee that the right resources are in a position to meet your test objectives.

People may resist QA test plans due to various factors such as:

• Time Constraints: Concerns about the additional time required for planning and executing tests.

• Resource Limitations: Limited availability of testing resources, including personnel and tools.

• Perceived Overhead: Viewing test planning as bureaucratic or unnecessary overhead.

• Lack of Understanding: Not fully comprehending the value and importance of thorough testing.

• Resistance to Change: Reluctance to adopt new processes or methodologies.

Understanding and addressing these factors can help mitigate resistance to QA test plans.

Test Plan Mission

We should view our test plan as a project plan expressly for your testing process. In other words, it should n convey how QA testing will be performed at a specific level (ie. system testing or user acceptance testing), or for a particular type of testing (ie. stress testing, performance testing or security testing).

Our Test Plan can be seen as the granular instruction guide for all of our team’s testing efforts. The plan will describe the clear objectives of testing (ie. functionality we are planning to verify and/or validate), the precise scope of testing (what will/will not be included), combined with the general and sometimes detailed schedule of the activities you want to perform (ie. how and when we are testing).

One of the critical components (and often overlooked) aspects of our plan should be the consideration and probability of risk. It should list all of the foreseen risks inherent in the project and detail their respective levels. This allows us to prioritize our testing by these risk levels.

Perhaps the most important part of a test plan is the definition of resources needed. Resources can be seen as human (such as the people involved in the test) and technical (such as test environments, test tools, and test data).