RMP Resource - Test Plan

Test plan defines the objectives and scope of the testing effort, and identifies the methodoloy to conduct tests. It also identifies the hardware, software, and tool required for testing and the features and functions that will be tested. Test plan is a document detailing and systematic approach to testing a system such as a machine or software. It documents the strategy that will be used to verify and ensure that a product or system meets its design specifications and other requirements.

Document for test plan should be describe following elements:

• Purpose:
  This section of test plan is define the scope and extent of the testing program. It should include a justification for the testing program and how to interpret its results. This section may include a brief description of the learning objectives that will be tested and how they will be tested, a description of the intended outcome of the testing program and an explanation of how the result should and should not be used and interpreted.
  
  
• Test Procedure:
  Test procedure includes the required resources, instructions, and constraints for giving the test. Simply, a test plan tells what are going to test while a test procedure tells how are going to test it. Generally testing procedure should contain - the producedures for giving the assessment and the procedures for all items used to administer the assessment, the precautions to minimize the possibility of test compromise, and explanations of the constrains and the action that should be taken to eliminate the constraint. Constraints are any situation that prevents the testing of the objectives as stated. Testing constraints may be limited manpower, limited equipment, limited space, and/or limited time.
  
  
• Test Coverage:
  It states what requirements will be verifies during what stages of the project life. It is derived from design specifications and other requirements, such as safety standards or regulatory codes, where each requirement or specification of the design ideally will have one or more corresponding means of verification.
  
  
• Test Methods:
  It state how test coverage will be implemented. It may determined by standards, regulatory agencies, or contractual agreement or may have to be created new. It also specify test equipment to be used in the performance of the tests and establish pass/fail criteria.
  
  
• Test Responsibilities:
  It include what organization will perform the test methods and at each stage of the project life. It also include, what data will be collected, and how that data will be stored and reported. One outcome of a successful test plan should be a report of the verification of all design specifications and requirement.

A test plan may include one or more of following: Design verification, Production test, Commissioning test, Repair test, and Regression test. Design verification or Compliance test performed during the development of approval stages of the project. Manufacturing or Production test performed during preparation or assembly of the project in an ongoing manner for purposes of performance verification and quality control. Acceptance or Commissioning test performed at the time of delivery or installation of the project. Service and Repair test performed as required over the service life of the product.

A complex project documentation may have a high level test plan to address the overall requirements and supporting test plans to address the design details of subsystems and components. Software testing is the process of executing a program with the intent of finding errors. Generally there are two phases of test plan creation : the first should be done at the time the project is defined. The second should be created in parallel to the software requirements specification.