Purpose of writing a test plan

To prescribe the scope, approach, resources, and schedule of the testing activities. to identify the items being tested, the features to be tested, the testing tasks to be completed MED, the personnel responsible for each task, and the risks associated with the plan.

-IEEE Standard 829-1998

 

Define the test scope, test method, required resources, and progress, and specify the product items to be tested, the features to be covered, and the testing tasks to be executed, the owner of each task to identify related risks.

 

The outline of the test plan defined in IEEE 829 is as follows:

A) Test Plan identifer;

B) Introduction;

C) test items;

D) features to be tested;

E) features not to be tested;

F) approach;

G) Item pass/fail criteria;

H) suspension criteria and Resumption requirements;

I) test deliverables;

J) testing tasks;

K) environmental needs;

L) responsibilities;

M) staffing and training needs;

N) schedule;

O) risks and contingencies;

P) approvals.

 

The test plan is a by-product of the detailed planning process that's undertaken to create it. It's the planning process that matters, not the resulting document.

A test plan is a by-product in a detailed planning process. It is important to plan the process, not the document itself.

 

The ultimate goal of the test planning process is communicating (not recording) the software test team's intent, its expectations, and its understanding of the testing that's to be written med.

The ultimate goal of the test plan is to express (rather than record) the intent and expectations of the test group and their understanding of the upcoming test.