Overview of Test Planning

The objective of the test planning process is to create the strategy and tactics that provide the proper level of test coverage for your project. The following image illustrates one example of the test planning process.

As shown in this image:

1. The inputs to the test planning process are the business requirements and the project scope.

2. The outputs or deliverables for the test planning process include the following:

   • Test objectives. The high-level objectives for a quality release. The test objectives are used to measure project progress and deployment readiness. Each test objective has a corresponding business or design requirement.

   • Test plans. The test plan is an end-to-end test strategy and approach for testing the Siebel application. A typical test plan contains the following sections:

     • Strategy, milestones, and responsibilities. Set the expectation for how to perform testing, how to measure success, and who is responsible for each task

     • Test objectives. Define and validate the test goals, objectives, and scope

     • Approach. Outlines how to and when to perform testing

     • Entrance and exit criteria. Define inputs required to perform a test and the success criteria for passing a test

     • Results reporting. Outlines the type and schedule of reporting

   • Test cases. A test plan contains a set of test cases. Test cases are detailed, step-by-step instructions about how to perform a test. The instructions should be specific and repeatable by anyone who typically performs the tasks being tested. In the planning process, you identify the number and type of test cases to be performed.

   • Definition of test environments. The number, type, and configuration of test environments must be defined. Clear entry and exit criteria for each environment should be defined.