Test Plan

The test plan is a mandatory document. You can’t test without one. For simple, straight-forward projects the plan doesn’t have to be elaborate but it must address certain items. As identified by the “American National Standards Institute and Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers Standard 829/1983 for Software Test Documentation”, the following components should be covered in a software test plan. 

Component	Description	Purpose
Responsibilities	Specific people who are and their assignments	Assigns responsibilities and keeps everyone on track and focused
Assumptions	Code and systems status and availability	Avoids misunderstandings about schedules
Test	Testing scope, schedule, duration, and prioritization	Outlines the entire process and maps specific tests
Communication	Communications plan—who, what, when, how	Everyone knows what they need to know when they need to know it
Risk Analysis	Critical items that will be tested	Provides focus by identifying areas that are critical for success
Defect Reporting	How defects will be logged and documented	Tells how to document a defect so that it can be reproduced, fixed, and retested
Environment	The technical environment, data, work area, and interfaces used in testing	Reduces or eliminates misunderstandings and sources of potential delay