Typical Testing Steps

Most software testing projects can be divided into general tasks or steps.
Test Planning – This step determines which applications (or parts of applications) should be tested, what the priority level is for each application to be tested, and when the testing should begin. Applications with high levels of risk or heavy user volumes are identified.

Test Design – This step is for determining how the tests should be built and what level of quality is necessary for application effectiveness. During this phase, individual business requirements and their associated tests should be addressed within an overall test plan.

Test Environment Preparation – This step of the testing process is concerned with establishing the technical environment that the test(s) will be executed in. Without this step, the investment in test automation is at risk because of the inability to re-execute the tests.

Test Construction – At this step, test scripts are generated and test cases are developed based upon the test plans created during the design phase. Most of the time spent in automated testing is typically in the test construction phase.

Test Execution – This step is where the test scripts are executed according to the test plans. As test execution is the most tedious and repetitious step during a manual testing process, the automation of this step is where the most significant time savings are made.

Test Evaluation – After the tests are executed, the test results are compared to the expected results and evaluations can be made about the quality of an application. At this stage, application errors or problems are identified and appropriate corrective actions can be considered. Decisions can be made as to the readiness of the application for release.