Test Plan vs Test Strategy: Key Differences

Test plans and test strategies are integral to any robust software quality assurance (QA) system. Although they often work in tandem and complement each other, they serve different purposes.

What’s the difference between them?

The confusion between test plans and test strategies often arises because of their overlapping usage. This blog post clarifies the difference between test strategy and test plan. We'll first explore these terms individually and then compare their core differences.

What is a Test Plan?

A test plan, sometimes referred to as a QA test plan, can be seen as the instruction manual or guide for an organization’s testing efforts. It compiles all the activities in a QA project, creating a schedule, identifying the project scope, defining roles and responsibilities, highlighting risks, entry and exit criteria, and setting the objectives of testing.

Typically, the test plan is designed based on software requirements. Ideally, test plans should include the risks anticipated in the QA project, allowing QA managers to prioritize the testing process by risk.

Types of Test Plans

Test plans are categorized based on the testing types, levels, and sizes of the plan. These categories outline high-level details about software testing techniques and their processes. The types of test plans are:

• Level-specific test plan: Includes planning for Unit testing, Integration testing, and System testing.
• Type-specific test plan: Covers planning for key parameters, such as performance.
• Master test plan: A comprehensive QA test plan that features high-level information and details of the overall testing process. This plan rarely undergoes revisions.

Uses of Test Plans

A test plan serves as a guide for software or app testing throughout the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC). During the planning phase, QA engineers only need to define test points. A test plan records the types of testing undertaken and can be reused for regression testing at a later stage. The critical uses of test plans include:

• Guide to testing process: The test plan document outlines the testing approach, describing what testing practices will be performed. It details the scope of testing, the test items, the pass/fail criteria, and the resources required to set up the test environment. The test plan clarifies every team member’s role in the testing process.
• Bridge between teams: The test plan serves as an effective communication channel among developers, testers, and other stakeholders. It allows everyone to review requirements together and make desired changes. The test plan contains frequently circulated information, such as the estimated budget, schedule, software, and hardware requirements.
• Streamlined functional coverage: A well-written test plan covers all aspects of the product to be tested, describing the scope of testing, including functionalities and features to be tested. It also mentions the types of testing to be executed and the testers responsible for these tests, ensuring every functionality of the Application Under Test (AUT) is tested.
• Ensures availability of resources: Before executing the software testing process, it is crucial to have the tools, hardware, software, and other resources required to set up the test environment. A test plan ensures all prerequisites are available when required.
• Prevents testing ‘out of scope’: Some testers might test the entire app release every time, even when it is unnecessary. In such cases, a test plan helps keep the testing process on track, focusing on specific modules and declaring the functionalities to be tested.
• Keeps a record of testing: Test plans document what was tested, featuring details like the project name, level of test plan, module name, release, and version number. They record new additions to the release and what needs to be tested, ensuring no functionality or feature is missed.
• Tracks the testing progress: Managers can control and track the testing process's status, as the test plan defines the schedule for testing steps. It includes which engineers are involved and their responsibilities. Managers can use the test plan to check the validity of planned timelines, project status, and actual testing progress at any time.
• Provides effort estimation: A test plan helps determine the estimated testing effort and cost. By breaking down the process into smaller segments, it identifies the resources and time required for testing.
• Ensures risk management: Risk management is a key aspect of test planning. A test plan guides testers through the risk mitigation process to prevent risk incidents.

Test Plan Template

A test plan can vary with every project. However, the testing team should adhere to a set template to log all details of the testing process. Defined by the standard IEEE 829, a test plan template consists of the following 19 details:

1. Test plan identifier
2. References
3. Introduction
4. Test items
5. Software risk issues
6. Features to be tested
7. Features not to be tested
8. Approach
9. Pass/Fail criteria
10. Suspension criteria and resumption requirements
11. Test deliverables
12. Remaining tests
13. Environmental needs
14. Staffing and training needs
15. Responsibilities
16. Schedule
17. Planning risks and contingencies
18. Approvals
19. Glossary

How to Write a Test Plan

A test planning document provides a blueprint for the testing method, strategy, hardware/software selection, schedule plan, and estimation of deliverables. Although many test plan templates are available online, testers or QA managers may analyze the project or business requirements and devise a customized plan that best suits their needs. To be effective, a test plan should cover the following aspects:

• What should be tested: Description of the object (system, application, website, etc.)
• How to test: Identifying the testing strategy.
• When to test: Listing activities: preparation, testing, result, and report.
• Criteria to start testing: Readiness of the test platform, functionality development, and documentation.
• Criteria to end testing: Test results align with the desired quality criteria.
• Review and approval: Review by stakeholders, including:
  • Lead QA engineer
  • QA Manager
  • Head of Development
  • Project Manager

What is Test Strategy?

A test strategy is a comprehensive document outlining the approach to conducting software testing. It informs project managers, developers, and testers about the critical aspects of the testing process. Developing an effective test strategy is a skill that grows with experience.

The test strategy details how to mitigate risks at the test level, the criteria required, and the types of testing to be performed. This strategy is shared with the entire team to ensure a unified approach and mindset towards testing.

Types of Testing Strategies

Testers utilize a testing strategy to determine the levels and methods of software testing to be applied in the project, including techniques and tools. It encompasses test cases and specifications, bringing them together for execution. The following testing strategies provide templates for testing:

• Analytical Strategy: Uses formal and informal methods to assess and prioritize testing risks. It gives an overview of requirements, processes, and implementation to determine the testing motive.
• Model-based Strategy: Tests the software’s functionality according to real-world scenarios (e.g., software functioning in an organization). It identifies the data domain and selects ideal test cases based on the probability of errors in the domain.
• Regression-based Strategy: Focuses on reducing regression risks for functional or non-functional product parts. GUI-based automation tools may be used to operate tests whenever the application is modified.
• Standards or Compliance-based Strategy: Follows procedures or guidelines set by standard committees or enterprise experts (e.g., HIPAA, FDA) to specify test conditions, define test cases, and organize the testing team.
• Methodical Strategy: Tests application features based on a user-based checklist, assessing critical software aspects like functionality, reliability, usability, and performance.
• Process-oriented Strategy: Tests software according to existing standards such as IEEE standards.
• Dynamic Testing Strategy: Involves testing the software based on collective team inputs.
• Philosophical Testing Strategy: Tests the software to identify any components that might break or stop performing at any time.

Uses of Test Strategies

The critical uses of test strategies include:

• Ensuring Software Usability: Along with identifying bugs, a good testing strategy assesses the software’s portability and usability.
• Providing Quantified Metrics: Follows a qualified approach to specifying software requirements like desired output, effectiveness, and average time to failure.
• Facilitating Continuous Process Improvement: Improves testing methods and makes them more effective over time.
• Establishing Agile Software Development: Uses feedback from rapid software testing to control corresponding strategies, enabling the development of robust software that can self-test using intelligent debugging techniques.

Test Strategy Template

A test strategy is a documented approach defining the testing methods, domain, environment, configurations, tools, schedules, resource allocations, and staff utilization. It ensures the effectiveness of the testing process. A typical test strategy template includes the following factors:

1. Scope
2. Test Approach
3. Test Environment
4. Testing Tools
5. Release Control
6. Risk Analysis
7. Review and Approvals
8. Test Summary

How Do You Write a Test Strategy?

When creating a test strategy for a project, various factors must be considered. The test strategy document may vary between businesses, with sections added or removed according to specific needs. However, the following pointers are essential aspects of any test strategy document:

Test Levels: This section outlines the document's level of testing, which may include unit testing, integration testing, system testing, or acceptance testing.

Scope: Defines the application areas to be tested and specifies criteria that are exempt from the scope of testing.

Entry and Exit Conditions: Specifies the conditions that must be met to start and end the testing process.

Environment: Describes the setting in which testing will take place, such as the development, test, staging, or production environment.

Responsibilities: Details the roles and responsibilities of team members involved in the testing process. For instance, it may describe the role of the development team in performing unit testing or assign approval responsibilities to specific stakeholders.

Tools: Lists the tools required for testing and reporting. This section also outlines the scope of automation tools for testing and reporting purposes.

Defect Management: Explains the process for tracking and reporting bugs once they are identified.

Release Control: Describes who is responsible for the final release, whether the release will be versioned or follow a CI/CD approach, and the necessary approvals before the release.

Metrics and Reporting: Outlines how metrics will be recorded and who will be responsible for reporting them. Metrics are typically defined by a Product Manager or a similar role.

Risk and Mitigation: Identifies potential threats that testers may anticipate before actual testing begins and describes strategies for preventing these risks.

Summary: Provides a brief overview of the testing performed and its key components.

Test Strategy VS Test Plan

A test plan documents the scope, objectives, and key elements of software testing, whereas a test strategy defines the techniques and approaches to testing.

Wrapping Up

Distinguishing between a test strategy and a test plan can be challenging. A test strategy is generally a static document, while a test plan specifies what to test, when to test, and how to test. As discussed, a test plan is more comprehensive and detailed compared to a test strategy. Test plans are used at the project level, whereas test strategies are typically used at the organizational level.