business test plan

Every firm on the planet regards quality as a critical component of the software development process. When you enter a software quality assurance process, there is one aspect that is equally vital to consider aside from investment: the quality plan. It is an unspoken aspect of the software development process in which approach comes first and then the roadmap is implemented.

However, when corporations do not adhere to strict quality standards, they are frequently caught aback by a large number of consumers, even after significant success. Therefore, what may be the explanation behind this?

As an organisation, you must understand that a test plan guarantees that all products are covered, that testing is conducted in accordance with the overall project objectives, and that everything is completed on time. 

So, if you’re worrying about why should your business have a test plan? The only good explanation is, a well-crafted test strategy is likely to include all your business prerequisites, approaches, criteria, and outputs for testing, as well as the characteristics of the testing environment.

Defining a test plan in a single document is a simple method to ensure that testing remains on schedule, within budget, and meets client objectives. 

Test planning should always be deliberate—never haphazard. Fortunately, there are several inventive ways to break up this apparently insurmountable chore. 

This article discusses how to approach the idea of test case prioritization more significantly during test preparation in order to obtain a higher-level bird’s eye view.

Table of Content:

  • Introduction
  • Software Testing Strategies For A Successful QA Process
  • Conclusion

Software Testing Strategies For A Successful QA Process

1. Adopt a collaborative approach to risk analysis

Naturally, testers undertake risk assessments, although frequently in an unstructured manner. Have you ever mentally checked off client priorities, high-risk features, and any changes since the last build? That is an excellent approach to begin a test cycle.

However, structuring the risk analysis process is preferable. To conduct a thorough risk evaluation, consider bringing in members from different teams. Collaborate with a business analyst, a customer service person, and a developer to do a risk analysis. By incorporating other perspectives in a systematic manner, the maximum amount of insight into the system under examination is gained.

Together, you can calculate the chance of each feature failing and the resulting impact. Arrange the risk analysis results according to the characteristics that are most likely to fail and the ones that would do the most damage if they did.

2. Ascertain that test planning is prioritised in accordance with customer concerns

Client issues can be sent in a variety of ways to the QA department:

  • Emails that have been forwarded
  • Client conversations recorded and dedicated support
  • Input from developers
  • Direct communication

Consolidating and visualising all customer issues is one of the most critical things you can do during test planning. Establish a practice of recording every feedback which crosses your path (in any format). Translate pertinent customer issues into a master document, clickable list, or digital bulletin board during the test preparation phase—whatever works. Once condensed and converted into the project’s language, it will be much easier to include into your strategy.

3. Keep tabs on the discovery process

Any QA manager creating a test plan must include the project’s current documentation in the process of initial application discovery.

With agile projects, you may have little to no recorded information and must instead learn about the project at numerous contact points during its lifespan or risk going into it blind. It is important to follow a new application’s discovery phase, regardless of how much information you have upfront.

Consider documenting your initial investigation in a format that is easily shared with your testing team. You can construct a mental map outlining the many features and their purposes, capture video and/or audio, or just jot down your initial thoughts and format them afterwards. This may be used to determine how tasks are segmented and afterwards to assist with the introduction of new testers to the project.

4. Create mind maps for products

Mind maps may be used to monitor customer issues, the discovery process, and the overall result.

Additionally, they’re enjoyable.

You most likely learnt how to create mind maps in elementary school. Simply start with a huge piece of paper and begin connecting various parts and establishing links between features and functionalities. Mind maps, whether digital or analogue, are a very visual method of organising any type of work, but they come in handy when it comes to software testing, which may rapidly become overwhelming.

Mind maps can assist you in outlining a product in order to make work assignments easier. More significantly, mind maps enable you to monitor an app’s coverage.

5. Distinguish between creative and monotonous activities

The majority of applications, particularly mobile applications, benefit from a hybrid approach to testing. Regression tests, scripted tests, and manual investigation all work in concert to offer comprehensive coverage that guarantees product quality and satisfies business objectives.

While striking the correct balance may vary for every project, it is always important to identify which functions require scripting and unambiguous pass/fail criteria and which should be treated as hard cases—creative difficulties that are more difficult to detect.

You may allocate exploratory and scripted cases to each tester based on their ability level. This gives testers a creative break from often tedious scripts and ensures that the largest number of perspectives on usability and dependability is available. In brief, allow testers the freedom to experiment and damage things while ensuring that all fundamental stages are covered.

6. Arrange test plans in accordance with user personas

User personas deserve their own mental map. Rather than segmenting the product by characteristics, segment it by users (and what those users are trying to accomplish).

For example, a picture editing software may provide a range of user stories: someone who needs to resize an image, someone who wants to crop, someone who has to design and print a birthday card, and someone who is creating an infographic. And so forth.

Following that, you break down those stories into stages, stacking user-based processes on top of other techniques to ensure comprehensive product coverage.

In a Nutshell,

All of these prioritising strategies can be used in conjunction with one another during test preparation to ensure the cycle’s success. When you’re focused on maximising the use of the product, are aware of customer issues, and are cognizant of risks, determining the greatest use of your time and resources becomes more obvious.

By Anurag Rathod

Anurag Rathod is an Editor of Appclonescript.com, who is passionate for app-based startup solutions and on-demand business ideas. He believes in spreading tech trends. He is an avid reader and loves thinking out of the box to promote new technologies.