Software Testing Life Cycle

 

STLC

It consists of series of activities carried out methodologically to help certify your software product. These activities (stages) constitute the Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC).

The different stages in Software Test Life Cycle

1.       Requirement analysis

2.       Test Planning

3.       Test Case development

4.       Environment setup

5.       Test case execution

6.       Test cycle closure

1.       Requirement Analysis

In this phase testing team understand the requirement from testing point of view and identify testable requirements to validate against requirement.  Testing requirement could either functional and non-functional

 

Identify types of tests to be performed.

Gather details about testing priorities and focus.

Prepare Requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM).

Identify test environment details where testing is supposed to be carried out.

 

2.       Test Planning

This phase is also called Test Strategy phase. Typically, in this stage, a Senior QA manager will determine effort and cost estimates for the project and would prepare and finalize the Test Plan.

Activities

Preparation of test plan/strategy document for various types of testing

Test tool selection 

Test effort estimation 

Resource planning and determining roles and responsibilities.

Training requirement

 

3.       Test Case Development

This phase involves creation, verification and rework of test cases & test scripts. Test data , is identified/created and is reviewed and then reworked as well.

Activities

Create test cases, automation scripts (if applicable)

Review and baseline test cases and scripts 

Create test data (If Test Environment is available)

Deliverables 

Test cases/scripts 

Test data

4.       Test Environment Setup

Test environment decides the software and hardware conditions under which a work product is tested. Test environment set-up is one of the critical aspects of testing process and can be done in parallel with Test Case Development Stage. Test team may not be involved in this activity if the customer/development team provides the test environment in which case the test team is required to do a readiness check (smoke testing) of the given environment.

 

Activities 

Understand the required architecture, environment set-up and prepare hardware and software requirement list for the Test Environment. 

Setup test Environment and test data 

Perform smoke test on the build

 

5.       Test Execution

 During this phase test team will carry out the testing based on the test plans and the test cases prepared. Bugs will be reported back to the development team for correction and retesting will be performed.

Activities 

Execute tests as per plan

Document test results, and log defects for failed cases 

Map defects to test cases in RTM 

Retest the defect fixes 

Track the defects to closure

Deliverables 

Completed RTM with execution status 

Test cases updated with results 

Defect reports

6.       Test Cycle Closure

Testing team will meet, discuss and analyse testing artefacts to identify strategies that have to be implemented in future, taking lessons from the current test cycle. The idea is to remove the process bottlenecks for future test cycles and share best practices for any similar projects in future.

Activities

Evaluate cycle completion criteria based on Time, Test coverage, Cost, Software, Critical Business Objectives, Quality

Prepare test metrics based on the above parameters. 

Document the learning out of the project 

Prepare Test closure report 

Qualitative and quantitative reporting of quality of the work product to the customer. 

Test result analysis to find out the defect distribution by type and severity.

Deliverables 

Test Closure report 

Test metrics