Test strategy and test plan form a major part of a software test document. Both these documents play a crucial role in the process of achieving a measured and desired result. The right combination of both the documents is desired to meet a common end. Lets highlight difference between test plan vs test strategy.
What is Test Plan?
A test plan document enlists the whole set of strategies and activities that must be followed in the pursuit of a common objective. Precisely a test plan consists of project’s objectives, scope, approach, scope, timings, roles and responsibilities, risks, entry and exit criteria and defines where the focus should lie.
Test plan’s origin lies in Software Requirement Specification Document. Elements of Test plan are listed below:
- Test Plan id: Unique identification for a test. It defines the test plan.
- Introduction: Briefly introduces the subject matter and outlines what needs to be taken care of.
- Test items: Test items include tools that could be used in automating tests, test environment needed for performing tests, manual testing that must be applied wherever required.
- Features to be tested: List the number of features that should not be missed out.
- Features not to be tested: Those features that could rest for a while and does not require much attention.
- Test techniques: Techniques that are adopted to implement tests.
- Testing tasks: Total amount of test cases that need to be completed within a specific time period.
- Suspension criteria: This is the criteria which suspends all or just a portion of testing activities until defects caught are resolved.
- Pass or fail criteria: Deciding on the criteria that defines the conditions that must be fulfilled in order to pass else the test is considered as a failure.
- Test environment: Set up the environment needed for testing in terms of tools, hardware configurations, connectivity etc.
- Test deliverables: Deliverables are the documents that are handed over to the stakeholders. Test deliverables state the components that are to be completed by the team throughout the life cycle of a project.
- Responsibilities: Assigning responsibilities to be carried out by the people involved in testing the software.
What is Test Strategy?
Test strategy guides the activities of the team that regulates how test activities should be performed. It can be thought of as the light that shows the path towards its final destination. Elements of Test Strategy are listed below:
- Business perspective: Deciding on the budget, time and resources required to complete a project.
- Testing approach: Types of testing that should be conducted. Types of tests that a system must go through are performance, load, stress, functional, non-functional etc.
- Defect tracking approach: To handle defects throughout the testing process, it needs to be decided as to how defects shall be dealt with.
- Training: If need be then the team involved in software testing must be trained on a new technology or tool, if such a technology or tool needs to be introduced in the project.
- Automation: If a project needs to automate its test, then they may opt for a tool considering which scripting language the team is well versed with.
- Risks: Risks could only be forecasted based on previous records or observing the pattern in which risks would have occurred on previous occasions.
Test Plan vs Test Strategy:
Both Test Plan and Test Strategy are terms used in the software testing and are essential components of the software development lifecycle. They help in organizing and conducting the testing process systematically. Here’s how test plan vs test strategy differs from each other:
| Test Plan | Test Strategy |
|---|---|
| 1. Test plan is about defining scope and objective of software testing efforts. | 1. Test strategy lays down the guidelines that defines how testing needs to be done. |
| 2. The test plan is prepared specifically by test manager or test lead. | 2. Test strategy on the other hand is prepared and carried out by the project manager. |
| 3. Test plan states the specifications. | 3. Test strategy defines general approaches. |
| 4. Test plan can be changes as per requirement. | 4. Once made test strategy cannot be changed. |
| 5.Test planning involves identifying risks and dependencies within a project. | 5. A test strategy is project specific, that is, single strategy for a project. |
| 6. A test plan has an individual existence. | 7. A test strategy is simply a part of any test plan. |
| 8. A test plan is defined at the project level. | 8. A test strategy is prepared from an organization’s point of view, it can thus be used by multiple projects. |
Conclusion:
Planning and strategy go hand in hand. Without the latter the former is incomplete. Planning the schedule and the techniques by which activities shall be carried on, is what test plan document about. Test strategy is simply a way to put things in place.