Software Testing Artifacts

An Introduction To Software Testing Artifacts

Software testing contributes to improvement of software quality. The main intent of testing is to detect failures of the application so that failures can be discovered and corrected. The process is also providing the client with information about the quality of the software.

Test Artifacts 

Test Artifacts are part of software testing. The process of software testing requires some special artifacts that will help to perform it effectively. The specific development type determines the structure and content of artifacts. These generated test artifacts are shared with clients and testing team or team managers, stakeholders associated with the project. This establishes transparency between the team and this is the main purpose of the test artifact.

Types Of Test Artifacts

There are many kinds of test artifacts. Not all software products will go through all of the test artifacts. There are a set of test deliverables that are commonly prepared during software testing.

Test Strategy:

The first and foremost step in test artifacts is to design a strategy. Test strategy explains the way the testing should happen. It gives a set of guidelines on how to determine the scope, documentation formats, test process, and client communication strategy. It is also used to identify all risk factors that can arise during testing and appropriate solutions to reduce the risk. Once it is completed then testers can proceed with other artifacts and testing processes.

Test Plan:

A test plan is a detailed document that specifies the whole scope of testing work. It mainly outlines the test strategy, testing objectives, resources required for testing, test schedule and test deliverables. It allocates the task for each test environment and also measures the amount of risk involved in the process. The test plan contains the test ID, the features to be tested, the entry and exit criteria and then the type of testing.

Test Case:

Test cases will examine the expected and actual results. Which describes how to validate a particular test objective. Test cases usually contain the title, description, test steps, expected result, and actual result.

Test Report:

This is the final document in test artifacts. This document gives a consolidated version of the software testing life cycle. It is the report on the testing activities. This report is used to communicate the status with the clients and team. The test reports can be generated on a daily basis or it can be generated after completion of testing. The entry criteria in this phase are test case execution reports, opened and closed test defect reports. The exit criteria are the test closure reports signed up by the client.