Test Process :Fundamentals and Testing activities

Planning :

Planning includes :

• • • Defining testing objectives
    • Test activities specified to meet the objectives and goals
    • Planning determines scope, risks, test approach, test strategy.

Control :

• • • Continuous ongoing activity to compare actual progress with plan 
    • Measure , analyse and report the status, including deviations from plan  
    • Initiate necessary actions to meet objectives  
    • You can’t control testing without monitoring.Planning takes into account feedback from monitoring and control

Analysis and Design:

The requirements are transformed to test conditions and test cases.

Analysis and Design phase of testing includes:

• • • Review the test basis and understand the software specifications  (such as requirements, architecture, design and interface)  
    • Evaluate test-ability of requirements to specify expected results and make sure requirements can be verified.
    • Identify and prioritize Test conditions 
    • Design high level test cases and prioritize  
    • Identify test data  
    • Design test environment and identify any tool or infrastructure required for testing the software.
    • Create bi-directional traceability between test basis and test cases 

Test Implementation and Execution:

All high level designing till this phase is now built in test cases and test procedures.

Test Implementation and Execution phase of testing includes:

• • • Develop and prioritize tests cases
    • Develop test procedures , test suites( logical collection of test cases)
    • Create test data
    • Set up test environment and verify that it is ready for test execution 
    • Verify and update traceability  
    • Execute test procedures
    • Log the outcome of each execution and compare actual with expected results  
    • Report discrepancies  and provide additional information to establish if likely cause is defect in code, test data, test document
    • Retest after the defect is fixed (confirmation testing) and  perform regression testing

Evaluating test exit criteria and Reporting:

Based on the risk assessment for each  test level, exit criteria is defined beforehand defining when to stop testing.Evaluation of exit criteria comes when maximum test cases are executed with specific pass percent or defect ratio below a certain level.

Evaluation exit criteria and Reporting phase of testing includes:

• • • Check test logs against exit criteria in test planning and identify what is remaining to test or fix
    •  Assess if more tests are needed or if the initial exit criteria needs to be modified
    •  Write a test summary report for stakeholders

Test Closure Activities:

Ending testing includes various activities to collect data from completed test activities and consolidate experience, test ware, facts and numbers. 

Test Closure activities phase of testing includes:

• • • Ensure that planned deliverable has been delivered. 
    • Ensure Incident reports are resolved or marked deferred  
    • Documenting acceptance of the system  
    • Finalize and archive test ware, test environment and infrastructure for reuse 
    • Hand over test ware to maintenance team  
    • Evaluate lessons learnt to determine changes needed for future releases and projects  Use information gathered to improve test maturity

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