How to write a Test Strategy Document

What is a Test Strategy?

Test Strategy defines the approach, scope, and resources required to ensure comprehensive testing throughout the project lifecycle. A well-designed strategy not only identifies testing objectives but also outlines methodologies, tools, and timelines essential for delivering a quality product.  

Crafting an effective test strategy is the cornerstone of successful software development.

This article delves into the fundamentals of test strategy, exploring its pivotal role in mitigating risks, enhancing product reliability, and ultimately, achieving customer satisfaction.

Types of Test Strategy

• Analytical Strategy: This procedure employs formal and informal techniques to evaluate and rank the hazards associated with testing. Analytical testing provides an overview of the testing’s needs, process, and implementation in order to define its purpose.
• Model-based Strategy: This technique tests the functionality of the program based on a real-world situation (like software functioning in an organization). Model-based testing detects the data domain and selects the optimal test cases according to the error probability in the data domain.
• Regression-based Strategy: Here, the testing methodologies prioritize mitigating the risk of regression for both functional and non-functional product components. Additionally, they can use GUI-based automation tools to run the tests anytime the application is modified.
• Standards or compliance-based Strategy: In this approach, testers follow the processes or rules determined by a committee for standards or panel of enterprise specialists, such as HIPAA, FDA, etc., to set test conditions, test cases, and the testing team.
• Methodical Strategy: This technique examines the application’s functionalities in accordance with the user-centered check list. Functionality, dependability, usability, and performance are some of the essential features of software that are tested by software testers.
• Process-oriented Strategy: It verifies the software in accordance with established standards, including IEEE standards.
• Dynamic Testing Strategy: After obtaining the inputs of the team as a whole, software is subjected to dynamic testing in order to determine its quality.
• Philosophical testing Strategy: It examines the software to determine if any component could break or cease functioning at any time.

Why do you Need a Test Strategy?

A test strategy is essential in software development for the following reasons:

• Guides Testing Efforts: It outlines how testing will be done throughout the project, ensuring clear and consistent testing goals and methods.
• Defines Scope and Coverage: It clarifies what parts of the software will be tested, making sure both functional and non-functional aspects are thoroughly covered.
• Manages Risks: It identifies potential risks and outlines how to address them through testing. Without a strategy, critical scenarios might be missed, increasing the risk of failures in production.
• Optimizes Resources: It helps prioritize testing based on what’s most important, ensuring resources are used efficiently and not wasted on unnecessary tests.
• Enhances Communication: It improves communication among all stakeholders, setting clear expectations for testing outcomes. Without it, misunderstandings could lead to delays or defects in the final product.

The lack of a test strategy can lead to some serious pitfalls:

• Ad Hoc Testing: Testing may become unstructured and inconsistent, leading to missed defects.
• Insufficient Test Coverage: Important parts of the software may not be tested, resulting in more bugs in production.
• Lack of Prioritization: Critical areas may be neglected, leaving them more vulnerable to issues.
• Delayed Bug Identification: Bugs might be found too late, causing costly delays and rework.
• Poor Risk Management: Major risks may not be addressed, increasing the likelihood of failures when the software is released.

What is a Test Strategy Document?

A test strategy document is a high-level document that outlines the testing methodology. In this section, we record the test objectives and a set of suggestions for achieving them. It is delivered by the project manager to all testing process stakeholders. Its scope may encompass a full corporation or a specific project.

Benefits of a Test Strategy Document

• Enables usable software: In addition to discovering software problems, an effective testing strategy should also evaluate the software’s portability and usability.
• Gives quantitative metrics: Test strategies adhere to a certified methodology for describing software criteria, such as the expected software output, efficacy, and average time to failure.
• Allows for continuous process improvement: It should improve testing procedures and continue to make them more efficient.
• Sets norms for agile software development: Rapid software testing feedback may be utilised to regulate the associated tactics. In addition, an efficient testing method enables the development of software that can self-test utilising intelligent debugging techniques.

Test Plan vs Test Strategy

Both test plan and test strategy are crucial components of a robust testing process, yet they often cause confusion due to their overlapping purposes and interrelated concepts. However, they serve distinct functions in the software testing life cycle.

The confusion arises primarily because both documents deal with planning and execution of tests, leading many to assume they are interchangeable. Additionally, in smaller projects or teams, these documents may be combined or simplified, blurring the lines between them. 

However, understanding the distinct roles of each—strategic guidance versus tactical execution—helps clarify their unique contributions to the testing process.

This table illustrates the important differences, making it easier to understand why both documents are necessary and how they work together during the testing process.

What to Include in a Test Strategy Document

A test strategy document should include the overall testing objectives, scope, and approach for the project. 

It should outline the testing types to be performed (for example, functional, performance, security), the test levels (like unit, integration, system), and the tools and resources to be used. 

Additionally, it should define the test environment, risk management, and test deliverables, as well as roles and responsibilities. The document should also cover test scheduling, defect management processes, and criteria for test success and completion.

This is described in detail in the template provided below. 

Test Strategy Template

Every organisation has its own priorities and set of standards for software design, therefore do not mindlessly imitate any corporation. Before using a template, confirm that the document is compatible and brings value to your software development.

A document detailing a test strategy may include the following sections:

1. Test Strategy-ID: A identifier for the document containing the test strategy and its many variants.
2. Introduction: A concise summary of the document’s intent and scope.
3. Standards to be used: The different criteria or set of guidelines that must be adhered to.
4. Risks and Mitigations: The many testing-related risks and their respective mitigation measures.
5. Entrance Requirements: The prerequisites that must be met before testing may begin.
6. Exit Criteria: The conditions that define when testing may be terminated.
7. Test Design Techniques: The test design techniques to be applied like- equivalence partitioning, boundary value analysis, etc.
8. Test Environment: The test environment standards.
9. Configuration management of testware: The specification of the appropriate testware version.
10. Test process improvement: Test process enhancement refers to the techniques used to enhance the testing procedure.
11. Approvals: The individuals who approve the test strategy paper.

Steps to Write a Test Strategy Document 

Creating a comprehensive Test Strategy document requires several critical steps. Here’s a systematic framework to help you design an effective test strategy.

Step 1. Understand the project requirements.

• Gather information: Review the project requirements, objectives, and scope to determine what needs to be tested.
• Stakeholder Consultations: Engage with stakeholders (such as product managers, developers, and business analysts) to ensure that expectations are aligned.

Step 2. Define the scope of testing.

• Identify the Testing Levels: Specify which levels of testing will be performed (unit, integration, system, acceptance, etc.).
• In-Scope Versus Out-of-Scope: Clearly state which features, modules, or areas will and will not be evaluated.

Step 3. Outline the Test Objectives

• Determine goals: Define the major testing objectives, such as validating functionality, assuring performance, and detecting hazards.
• Set criteria for when testing is complete and successful.

Step 4. Select Testing Approaches and Methodologies.

• Testing Types: Choose which types of testing to use (functional, non-functional, regression, exploratory).
• Techniques: Describe the testing methods that will be employed.

Step 5. Choose Testing and Environment Tools: 

• Identify and document the necessary tools for test management, automation, performance testing, and defect tracking.
• Configure the test environment(s), including hardware, software, network configurations, and data needs.

Step 6. Risk Management and Mitigation.

• Identify risks: List potential hazards to testing (e.g., tight timelines, limited resources, technological issues).
• Mitigation Strategies: Create plans to mitigate these risks and delegate responsibility for monitoring them.

Step 7. Define roles and responsibilities.

• Team Structure: Outline the roles and duties of the testing team (Test Manager, QA Engineers, and Automation Engineers).
• Communication Plan: Determine how and when team members will communicate progress, issues, and updates.

Step 8. Set up test metrics and reporting.

• Key metrics: Determine the test metrics that will be measured (such as test coverage metrics, defect density, and test execution rate).
• Reporting Process: Determine the frequency and type of test reports, as well as how they will be distributed to stakeholders.

Step 9. Create a test schedule and milestones.

• Timeline: Create a high-level testing schedule that coincides with project deadlines and critical milestones.
• Resource Allocation: Assign resources to different stages of testing based on availability and competence.

Step 10. Review and finalize the document.

• Stakeholder Review: Share the document with relevant stakeholders for feedback, and make any necessary changes.
• Approval: Seek official approval from stakeholders before finalizing the Test Strategy paper.

Step 11. Communicate and Maintain the Strategy

Distribute the finished paper to all relevant team members and stakeholders. Revisit and revise the Test Strategy on a regular basis as the project progresses or if any significant changes occur.

Following these stages ensures that your Test Strategy is thorough, in line with project objectives, and provides a solid foundation for your testing activities.

Sample Test Strategy Document

Here’s a sample Test Strategy document template. This document can be customised to meet the specific requirements of a project or organization.

Test Strategy Document:

1. Introduction: This section in the Test Strategy document describes the overall testing approach, objectives, scope, and essential activities needed to ensure the quality and dependability of the [Project Name]. It describes at a high level the testing procedures, tools, and resources required for effective project delivery.

• Purpose outlines the testing techniques and procedures for [Project Name], guaranteeing an organized approach to testing that is in line with project goals and quality expectations.
• Audience outlines the persona for which the document is designed for project stakeholders such as the QA team, developers, project managers, business analysts involved in the software development process.

2. Scope specifically defines whatever is within the scope to be tested and what is out of 

• In Scope such as Functional evaluation of all core features and modules and Integration testing of system components.
• Out of Scope such as Testing third-party integrations that were not created in-house, Hardware compatibility testing outside of the specified contexts or Non-core features or legacy components are being phased out.

3. Test Objectives such as:

• Ensure that all functional criteria are met and that the system works as planned.
• Identify and address key flaws before to release.
• Check that the application fulfils performance standards during peak load.
• Ensure that security vulnerabilities are identified and remedied.
• Check sure the application offers a favourable user experience.

4. Testing Approach is defined by mentioning Test Levels performed and types of testing used to cover the entire testing process.

5. Test Environment and Tools

• Test Environment include Test servers information like configuration information, operating systems, and network settings and Test Data sets / databases used for testing.
• Tools include list of Tools used for different testing functions in the below format.

6. Risk Management includes Risks and its Mitigation Strategies.

• Risks such as Tight deadlines resulted in insufficient test coverage, Possible delays in setting up test environments, Resource limitations during important testing phases.
• Mitigation Strategies such as Prioritizing essential test scenarios, Parallel setup of test environments, including early involvement of IT teams, and Contingency strategies for resource allocation.

7. Roles and Responsibilities are written as mentioned below:

8. Test Metrics and Reporting

• Key Metrics include Test Coverage, Defect Density, Test execution rate and pass/fail ratio.
• Reporting includes Daily/weekly test execution status reports. Defect reports that highlight key issues. After the conclusion of testing, a final test summary report is generated.

9. Test Schedule is written in the below format

10. Approval is written in the below format

This template is a starting point and should be customized to meet the specific context of your project.

How BrowserStack helps in implementing and tracking different Test Strategy?

Now you can Create, manage, and track all your test cases and test executions effortlessly. Gain valuable insights into overall testing progress, with seamless integration into your test automation suites with Browserstack Test Management

 Browserstack Test Management provides AI-driven test authoring and execution. Now you can:

• Generate test case suggestions from existing tests and Jira stories
• Automatically fill in test case fields with intelligent recommendations
• Identify the most relevant test cases for execution by analyzing Jira stories and previous test runs

It also allows you to Gain insights into testing efforts across all projects. You can:

• Monitor key metrics like automation coverage and visualize testing trends
• Utilize customizable dashboards tailored to your testing requirements
• Enhance traceability by linking requirements to test cases and defects

BrowserStack Test Observability may be integrated with Test Management using the BrowserStack SDK. Test Observability is compatible with tests conducted on locally hosted devices and browsers, CI/CD pipelines, and cloud platforms. 

Test Observability currently supports automated test suites for WebdriverIO, TestNG, Cypress, Jest, Mocha, CucumberJS, JUnit, XUnit, Pytest and many more.

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Conclusion

A test strategy ensures that everything else you do when testing an application aligns with the project’s objectives. This alignment helps to reduce wasted time and effort by ensuring that the appropriate tests are conducted for the proper reasons.

A test strategy is not a replacement for a test plan, but there are instances when it is sufficient to communicate the objectives, risks, and responsibilities of a test. This choice is dependent on the nature of the project. The bigger the scale, danger, and complexity, the greater the need for effective communication and preparation, which may be achieved with the use of a test plan.

Developing new software is the most important responsibility for businesses striving to compete in the present industry. Numerous organisations are hindered by unreliable scripting, manual interventions, complex processes, and huge unreliable tool stacks across diverse infrastructure. Software teams must race to comprehend their software supply chain and determine the root cause of issues. It is time to implement a new testing strategy for nightly and daily builds.

In doing so, teams run the danger of releasing poorly tested products. All software testing should ideally be conducted under actual user conditions. Teams typically utilize an internal test lab or the capacity of the real-device cloud to conduct manual and automated browser and operating system testing. For optimum test coverage, BrowserStack allows you to test your web and mobile applications on over 3000 genuine devices and browsers.

Enterprises can now leverage BrowserStack integration with Slack to share test strategy progress with the stakeholders. 

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