Test Initiation or Commencement

Software testing process starts when SRS is baselined. In software testing process, test initiation is the first stage. In this stage project manager or test manager category people prepare test strategy or test methodology document which specifies an approach to be followed by the testing team. There are three types of strategy in testing:

1. Exhaustive Testing
2. Planned Testing
3. Ad-hoc Testing

From software testing principle, exhaustive testing is impossible. Due to this reason, test management concentrate on planned testing or ad-hoc testing methodologies. Ad-hoc testing is followable when testing team have some risks. When there are no risks testing team favors planned testing/ Formal testing/Optimal testing. From this planned testing, project manager or test manager prepare a test strategy document like below:

1. Scope and Objective
2. Business Issues
3. Test Responsibilities in Matrix
4. Roles and Responsibilities
5. Status of Communication
6. Test Automation and Testing tools
7. Defect Reporting and Tracking
8. Test Measurement and Matrix
9. Test Management
10. Risks and Assumptions
11. Training Plan

Scope and Objective- In this importance of the current project is described

Business Issues- In this budget allocated for the testing project is mentioned like below:

Budget Allocation

Test Responsibilities in Matrix (TRM)- This matrix specifies the list of responsible testing topics in software testing.

Test Responsibilities in Matrix

Roles and Responsibilities- It consists of the jobs in the testing team and each job requirements like below:

Roles and Responsibilities

Status and Communication- In every two jobs in testing team are co-ordinated via different channels. For example Personal Meetings, Offline Meetings, Online Chatting, Video Conferencing and internal communicator etc.

Test Automation and Testing Tools- In this need for test automation in current project and available testing tools in the company is mentioned.

Defect Reporting and Tracking- In this required negotiation channels in between developers and testers while reporting and tracking of defects is mentioned.

Defect Tracking Team

Test Measurement and Metric-  Measurement is a basic unit and Metric is a compound unit. In order to estimate the testing process status, testers use a set of measurement and metric.

Test Management- Testing team need a sharable location to store all testing deliverables for future called as test base.

Test Management

Risks and Assumptions- In this List of all risks (which might come in future) and assumptions (to overcome those risks) is mentioned.

Training Plan- Testing team need training on the customer requirements in current project. In this training, testers are trained by BA,SA and SME

Training is optional to the testers if the testers have experience in the current project. The domain of the current project may be Banking, Insurance, Finance, Sales, Telecommunications, Health Care, eCommerce, e-learning etc.

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Click Here to know about Test Plan Format

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