CSTE -- 6. Test Planning Process

6. Test Planning Process

1. Pre-Planning Activities
1. Success Criteria/Acceptance Criteria - The criteria that must be validated through testing to provide user management with the information needed to make an acceptance decision.
2. Test Objectives - Objectives to be accomplished through testing.
3. Assumptions - Establishing those conditions that must exist for testing to be comprehensive and on schedule; for example, software must be available for testing on a given date, hardware configurations available for testing must include XYZ, etc.
4. Entrance Criteria/Exit Criteria - The criteria that must be met prior to moving to the next level of testing, or into production.
2. Test Planning
1. Test Plan - The deliverables to meet the test’s objectives; the activities to produce the test deliverables; and the schedule and resources to complete the activities.
2. Requirements/Traceability - Defines the tests needed and relates those tests to the requirements to be validated.
3. Estimating - Determines the amount of resources required to accomplish the planned activities.
4. Scheduling - Establishes milestones for completing the testing effort.
5. Staffing - Selecting the size and competency of staff needed to achieve the test plan objectives.
6. Approach - Methods, tools, and techniques used to accomplish test objectives.
7. Test Check Procedures (i.e., test quality control) - Set of procedures based on the test plan and test design, incorporating test cases that ensure that tests are performed correctly and completely.
3. Post-Planning Activities
1. Change Management - Modifies and controls the plan in relationship to actual progress and scope of the system development.
2. Versioning (change control/change management/configuration management) - Methods to control, monitor, and achieve change.