Test documents are artifacts that are prepared before starting any testing procedure. It helps the testing team to cover the business requirements, estimate the efforts, estimate man-hours to be induced by the number of resources, test coverage, test execution coverage progress, etc. Test documents are the road map and the destination for the testers. It defines how to do the testing and the scope that needs to be tested.
Types of Documents Required in Testing:
Let us discuss in detail :
In this document test levels (types) are included. It includes what types of testing are to be used (types of testing) and on which module the testing needs to be carried out (scope of testing). It also includes various other elements such as documentation formats, objectives, test processes, and scope. An important factor is we cannot modify the test strategy.
This is the document that is prepared by the test lead or manager. It includes comprehensive information about testing activities. It includes various components such as Objective, Scope, Approach, Test environments in which testing needs to be carried out, Test methodology, Role and responsibility of all the testers, Entry and exit criteria, Effort estimation, Tools, Defect tracking, Test Deliverable, Risks, and Mitigation Plan.
A requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM) is created to ensure that all the test cases have been covered by the business requirements. This document is prepared to validate that no requirement has been missed and that test cases about all the requirements have been covered.
There are 3 types of RTM:
- Forward RTM ( From requirements to design or coding )
- Backward RTM( From coding or design to requirements )
- Bidirectional RTM: It is a combination of forwarding and Backward RTM
- It is a document that defines multiple events or situations that a tester can validate be positive or negative. It includes at least one test case to fulfill the requirement. It is mainly prepared to have an understanding of the flow of an application.
- It doesn’t contain any steps for testing or any data. It includes possible points of instance for software. It is prepared based on business requirements
5. Test Case Document:
- It is a detailed document that includes step-by-step testing procedures for how to test the system. It consists of comprehensive information, steps, and data that are needed while testing an application.
- It is prepared based on test scenarios. It is considered the first level of action derived from test scenarios.
6. Test data:
- In this document, all the data about testing that is to be carried out is included. This data is collected before the execution of test cases. This data is generally used while implementing the test case.
- Most test data is stored in an Excel sheet and is entered manually. It is important to have accurate test data to assume the expected results.
7. Defect Report:
- A defect report is a document where the tester tracks and mentions all the defects/ bugs found during testing.
- It includes the summary of the defect in detailed format along with steps to reproduce the same.
- This is an important document for both developers as well as testers. It helps both of them to track the status of the bug. Once the bug gets fixed by the developer, it falls into the retest status for the tester.
- It also helps to avoid the repetition of the bug.
8. Test Summary report:
- This is a high-level document generally prepared by the leads. It includes a summary of all the testing activities carried out as well as test results.
- It is highly helpful to define the constancy of the software/end product. It also includes components like several test cases written, executed, passed test cases, failed test cases, and the percentage of the same.
- It provides a clear picture of the testing activity carried out.
Benefits and necessity of the documents:
- It offers a systematic approach to all the testing procedures for a project
- It highly helps to remove any kind of uncertainty and provides a clear picture of the business as well as resources for conducting the testing
- It enhances the transparency with the clients
- It creates objective evidence for the performance of the quality management system
- It clarifies the quality of methods and objectives.