Test Planning and Estimation

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Test planning and estimation are the processes of defining and planning all the testing activities for your software. Test planning involves identifying the test objectives, scope, strategy, approach, resources, schedule, deliverables, and risks. Test estimation involves predicting the effort, duration, inter-dependencies and cost required to perform testing.

Test Planning and Estimation Examples

• A test plan for a web application includes the following information: test objectives (such as validating the functionality, performance, security, and usability of the web application), test scope (such as the features, modules, browsers, and platforms to be tested and not to be tested), test strategy (such as the test techniques, tools, test levels, and test types), test resources (such as the test team members, roles and responsibilities, skills, and test environment equipment), test schedule (such as the start dates, test milestones, activities, and deadlines), test deliverables (such as the test cases, test data, test results, and test reports), and test risks (such as the potential issues, impacts, and mitigation plans for testing).
• A test estimation for a mobile application includes the following information: test effort (such as the number of person-hours required to design, and execute tests, and report test results and defect reports), test time (such as the number of testing days or weeks required to complete testing), and test cost (for all the resources for the testing days). Test estimation may use different techniques such as expert judgment, analogy, work breakdown structure, three-point estimation, function point analysis, or use case point analysis.

Tips for Test Planning and Estimation

• Use your organization's test planning and estimation templates or tools to plan and estimate quickly.
• Use best practices such as basing the test plan and test estimate on realistic assumptions and historical data, involving relevant stakeholders for reviews, updating the test plan and test estimate when changes occur, and tracking and measuring the actual vs planned or testing progress.
• Using test techniques such as risk-based testing, exploratory testing, or agile testing can help you to optimize your testing activities according to your project context.
• Use test metrics such as test coverage, test effectiveness, test efficiency, or test progress to help you to evaluate and improve your testing activities.

FAQ (interview questions and answers)

1. What is the purpose of test planning and estimation?
   Define and plan the testing activities for your software in an organized way.
2. What are the benefits of test planning and estimation?
   They help alignment of testing with business requirements. They provide a clear path for testing. They facilitate communication and collaboration among stakeholders. They enable visibility, effective management, and control of testing resources. Test plan and test estimate provide input data for quality assurance and improvement of testing processes.
3. What challenges do you face in test planning and estimation?
   They require initial investment in terms of cost, time, resources, and skills. They are affected by changes in requirements or specifications. There are risks in testing, which need constant review. The test plan and estimate have to be updated when the requirements or risks change.
   
4. How do you evaluate a test plan or estimate?
   Correct template used, completeness of activities, reasonableness of estimates, activity dependencies, and traceability to requirements and technical specifications.

Remember to just comment if you have any doubts or queries.