Test Plan Vs Test Strategy

What is a Test Plan?

When a testing process is taking place, the Test Plan is the first step to consider. This is a document that contains a lot of information and different specifications. Describes the purpose, scope, and testing method of the software. It also describes the expectations and the scheduling of tasks, among other things.

Here is an example of what could be found in a Test Plan.

One of the sections of the Test Plan is the Test Strategy.

Figure 2 – Test Plan Attributes

What is Test Strategy?

As mentioned above, the Test Strategy is one of the sections of the Test Plan, and its primary function is to guide the Test Plan. This document informs about the key issues of the testing processes and is the first step that will help the team see every task that will be done during a project in a more precise way. The Test Strategy clears up the test design and defines the steps in the testing process.

Here is an example of what could be found in a Test Strategy.

Test Plan Vs Test Strategy

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Figure 3 – Test Plan vs Test Strategy

To clarify the distinction between the two, let's look at the comparison table:

Key Differences

• The Test Strategy is one of the components of the Test Plan.
• The test team manager or lead does the Test Plan. On the other hand, the Test Strategy is carried out by the project manager.
• The Test Plan answers the questions: how to test, when to test, and who will verify the test results. On the contrary, the Test Strategy says what technique should be followed.

Key Similarities

Both the Test Plan and the Test Strategy are key and vital documents during the testing process. Knowing how to distinguish them will allow the team to take full advantage of them, and thus the proposed objectives can be achieved.