Building a
Test Strategy
Take Longer to Deliver Sooner
As with many things in life, it makes sense to take time to prepare properly before
undertaking a programme of testing. Getting off to the right start, with a clear scope
and all the necessary resources marshalled ready to go, will pay dividends as the
project progresses and will save time, money and frustration. At Roque we constantly
advise clients that they should “Take longer to deliver sooner”.
A testing project can have no better chance of success than to have a well thought out,
comprehensive Test Strategy document, reviewed and agreed by all relevant parties.
Welcome to Roque News
The Test Strategy should cover a number of key components -
Unlucky 13? Not for Roque Consulting,
now in our 13th year we are going
Objectives: These should be tailored Work Products/
from strength to strength with a
to fit the project, not over or under Deliverables: This section
number of new initiatives including
testing the application. The details what is going to be
our first ever newsletter, an image
objectives will be driven by the produced in terms of plans,
makeover, a revamped website, and a
stakeholders and available specifications, metrics and
number of new strategic alliances.
documentation. reports.
In this issue you’ll find details of a
Scope: What’s in and
number of free resources, helpful
what’s out of scope for Test Phases: List and describe
websites and experienced based
testing should be clearly the test phases to be undertaken,
articles, that we trust you will find
defined and agreed making it clear who is responsible
useful as well as interesting. We are
with all stakeholders. for each. Detail the resources required
very keen to receive any feedback,
Scope covers not and staff involved in each phase.
good or bad, so do please drop us a
only the areas to
line at office@roque.co.uk
be tested, but the
Environments: Ensuring that you have
environments, data,
the right environments for each phase
tools, reporting and
of testing is essential. This section
responsibilities as
should detail the environments build,
Software Testing
well.
capacity, interfaces, availability and
Rationale: Document and
management. Related Websites
justify the approach you are
www.qaguild.com
taking to testing, as well as Exit and Entry Criteria: Each phase
www.stickyminds.com
the process and procedures should have clear and measurable
Free to join testing knowledge base
to be followed. Again, this entry and exit criteria, with the exit and community sites.
should be reviewed by and criteria from a proceeding phase,
www.sigist.org.uk
agreed with, all relevant feeding in to the entry criteria for
The British Computer Society Special
stakeholders. the next.
Interest Group for Software Testing.
www.uktmf.com
The Business has Brains
A forum for Test Managers hosted by
Gerrard Consulting.
Test Managers struggling to write a Test Strategy can sometimes overlook the
www.bsc.org.uk/iseb
fact that there is a lot of knowledge and guidance available to them within their Details of the ISEB Testing qualifications.
organisation. Roque has found that running a series of stakeholder workshops with
www.istqb.org
the relevant users, developers, business experts and suppliers can be an incredibly
International Software Testing
powerful way of building the strategy and ensuring early buy-in and sign-off.
Qualification Board.
AN EYE FOR DETAIL, A PASSION FOR QUALITY
www.roque.co.uk
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