Testing Plans

A testing plan is simply a step-by-step guide for a human tester to follow when testing software. You may remember that we mentioned them back on our testing chapter’s discussion on manual testing. Indeed, we can use a test plan to test all aspects of software, not just the GUI. However, automated testing is usually cheaper and more effective in many aspects of software design, which is why we prefer it when possible. So what does a GUI application testing plan look like?

It usually consists of a description of the test to perform, broken down into tasks, and populated with annotated screenshots. Here is an example:

1. Launch the application

2. Select the “Cowpoke Chili” button from the “Entrees” menu

The app should switch to a customization screen that looks like this:

There should be a checkbox for “Cheese”, “Sour Cream”, “Green Onions”, and “Tortilla Strips”

Initial	Test Item
	Cheese
	Sour Cream
	Green Onion
	Tortilla Strips

A Cowpoke Chili entry should appear in the order, with a cost of $6.10

Initial	Test Item
	Chili Entry in the order
	Price of $6.10

3. Uncheck the checkboxes, and a corresponding “Hold” detail should appear in the order, i.e. un-checking cheese should cause the order to look like:

Initial	Test Item
	Cheese checkbox appears and functions
	Sour Cream checkbox appears and functions
	Green Onion checkbox appears and functions
	Tortilla Strips checkbox appears and functions

4. Click the "Menu Item Selection" Button. This should return you to the main menu screen, with the order still containing the details about the Cowpoke Chili:

Initial	Test Item
	Chili Entry in the order
	Price of $6.10
	with "Hold Cheese"
	with "Hold Sour Cream"
	with "Hold Green Onion"
	with "Hold Tortilla Strips"

If you encountered problems with this test, please describe:

The essential parts of the test plan are clear instructions of what the tester should do, and what they should see, and a mechanism for reporting issues. Note the tables in this testing plan, where the tester can initial next to each “passing” test, as well as the area for describing issues at the bottom. This reporting can either be integrated into the test document, or, it can be a separate form used with the test document (allowing the printed instructional part of the test documents to be reused). Additionally, some test documents are created in spreadsheet software or specialized testing documentation software for ease of collection and processing.

Test plans like this one are then executed by people (often titled “Tester” or “Software Tester”) by opening the application, following the steps outlined in the plan, and documenting the results. This documentation then goes back to the software developers so that they can address any issues found.