The test plan, which is the first step in the documentation of the testing process, contains details about the functional scope of the product, a thorough requirement specification, test strategies, the various types of testing that will be used, the software development team, and their responsibilities. On the other side, the Test Strategy portion of the Test Plan document contains a detailed explanation of the commencement of the testing process and the testing procedures. The test manager develops and updates the documentation for the test plan and test strategy with help from the test team and project management.

What Is Test Plan?

The test plan is a written document that outlines the goal and methodology of software testing. The software testing company has numerous software projects. Depending on the requirements, each software project team may have its test plan. There must be some preparation for testing the features of the project, whether it is a support project or a development project. The test plan now enters the picture. Before the testing itself begins, the test plan is created. A brief explanation of the methodologies and testing types that will be employed during the testing is included in the test plan. The test plan also aids in the understanding of testing by individuals outside the team, such as business managers, engineers, and customers.

What Is Test Strategy?

A test strategy is a document that defines a set of test design principles and specifies how testing will be carried out. Software project teams also have a test strategy. The test strategy serves as the test plan’s guiding principle. Every project team adheres to the same test plan. The planning of the testing phase is aided by the test strategy. It includes a succinct introduction explaining the need for testing as well as the procedures to be followed based on the project/requirement type.

Key Differences Between Test Plan and Test Strategy

The following explains the main differences between a test plan and a test strategy.

• A test plan includes the software testing scope, objective, and method. A test strategy, on the other hand, defines how a test is performed.
• While test plan design is a project-level activity, test strategy comes from the organizational level.
• The test plan is designed by the test manager or team leader, and the project manager designs the test strategy.
• The test plan is at the project level, so any project team can modify it to suit their needs. You cannot change your strategy or change it frequently during testing.
• The main purpose of creating a test plan is to define how the software product will be tested when to test it, and who will validate the test results.

Essentially, a test strategy defines how tests should follow, and a test plan details how those methods are executed consistently. The two go hand in hand. As mentioned earlier, the test plan follows the test strategy, so the test strategy does not change often. Therefore, frequent changes in the test strategy can affect the test plan and test quality. The impact on quality is that no one wants it.

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Some organizations include the test strategy as a subsection of the test plan itself. But don’t be confused. Knowing the difference is a matter of preparation. There are companies in the world that don’t have a testing plan or strategy. However, it’s always a good idea to have some knowledge as a good test engineer. A test strategy allows you to orchestrate the test planning process and ultimately the testing process. The ultimate goal is to obtain a high-quality product.

In Conclusion

The comparison above should resolve the confusion between the test plan and strategy. These two files are important and important parts of your project. Does the test strategy help the test plan, and does the test plan help the test execution and test results?

FAQs

What is your first test plan or test strategy?

A test strategy is developed before the test plan. The test plan has a different-2 type. There are main test plans and separate test plans for different types of testing, such as system test plans and performance test plans. There is only one test strategy document for a project.

What is the difference between a test plan and a strategy?

A test plan can be defined as a document in a software project that defines the method, scope, and intensity of the software testing task. A test strategy is a set of guidelines or protocols that describe the design of a test and determine how to execute the test.

What is an Agile Testing Strategy?

Agile testing strategies support DevOps and continuous testing. Continuous testing is important to improve product quality. Agile development requires frequent and early testing. So instead of waiting for development to end and start testing, we keep testing every time a feature is added.