In our previous blog post we reviewed the history of Quality Assurance and Marketnet’s top-level approach to QA. In it we expressed our QA Mission Statement and defined the Marketnet Quality Assurance System (QAS). Combined, these served as an Introduction and provided a launching pad for more detailed testing topics to follow. These topics will typically fall into one of the four phases of Quality Assurance:

• Test Planning
• Test Design
• Test Execution
• Test Summary

This particular blog will delve into the Planning phase and try to shed some light onto that process.

While some of you have a good understanding of the importance of this phase, we still should discuss why we devote time to test planning. So let me start off by asking; why is this aspect important to an overall project, and specifically critical to QA?
To answer;

1. Test planning insures the testers have a comprehensive understanding of the requirements. Planning provides QA a structured and critical thinking path to review all of our test assets and determine if there are any gaps or ambiguity.
2. Documenting a plan further shapes the testers approach to testing; from determining testing types to be conducted, identifying risks, exit strategies, to test scripts generated. On all projects; whether ranging from those large, complex, multi-phase ones to small micro-sites, should undergo some level of formalized test planning.

Test planning, according to ANSI/IEEE Standard 829-1998 for Software Test Documentation defines it as follows: “Test Plan: a management planning document that shows:

• How the testing will be done
• Who will do it
• What will be tested
• How long it will take
• What the test coverage will be, i.e. what quality level is required”

While this definition is to some degree specific, it allows plenty of room for interpretation towards the layout and design of this written information. At Marketnet, we have evolved two distinct and entirely different approaches that support all manner of size and complexion when it comes to your testing needs.
Marketnet’s Test Planning Approach:  Just The Facts Ma’am or a Test Plan Suitable For Binding.

Just the Facts

We have created a template where only the basic information is gathered in an easy to follow yet description friendly and ‘further reference required’ format. Within an Excel Spreadsheet we have templated the following that are updated for each project: Electronic File Repository, Test References, Test Script tabs, Bug Tracking, Test Approach, Test Harness, Test Estimate, and Risks and Contingencies. This is an internal document and not subject to client approval.

Each of these will contain all the relevant test information within one of these abbreviated Test Plan topics. Often times, especially within the sections Electronic File Repository, Test References, Test Estimate, and Risks and Contingencies, these will be nothing more than links to other produced project documents.

Suitable for Binding.

While similar to the Spreadsheet template in concept, the traditional Test Plan is a much more detail driven, robust and usually client review and sign off document. It covers many of the same topics, but in a more technical documented style. Written in Microsoft Word, the Test Plan takes longer generate, has much more detailed sections as Ambiguity Review, Roles and Responsibilities, details explicit to Test Harness and Test Approach, and will often times express other project document concepts (based upon Discovery, Business and Technical Requirements, Technical Design Specifications, Use Cases, etc.) in terminology and language tailored for testing.

This document may undergo many revisions, and may also include added appendices as project phases are added. Due to its treatment as a living document, often times the client insists this be a reviewed and approved deliverable.

Once your Test Plan is well underway, the next consideration is to design the project’s testing activities. In our next blog on Quality Assurance, we’ll take a deeper look at the elements and process that go into Test Design.

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