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Although some contingency events may actually be opportunities, it is, due to the limited scope of testing within the wider project or service delivery context, quite unlikely that the opportunities related to the very testing process will occur. However, the outcome of testing or some of its results may offer opportunities related to the subject of testing that may be enhanced, exploited or shared.
Test Status Report
Test
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Status Report is a one-time interim summary of the results of the execution of testing activities. It may describe the status of the all testing activities or be limited on a single test suite. This report needs to be highly informative and concise and should not elaborate minor operational details.
Depending on the approach defined in the test plan, it may be produced periodically, on completion of milestones or phases, or on demand. If periodic, it may be a base for continuous tracking through progress charts. Individual status reports are also sources for the test completion report.
The document can start or end with totals of passed, failed and pending test cases, scenarios or tests, and identified defects (if individually tracked). It may also deliver the coverage of test cases or code, consumption of resources and other established progress metrics. Close to this summary, a comprehensive assessment should be provided.
If needed, it provides evaluations and recommendations based on the interim results and incidents encountered during the testing. It may also signal the red flags that deserve recipients’ attention. It should report the resolution of issues that were highlighted in the previous status report, but there is no need to report the issues that were already reported as solved.
The summary of activities conduced since the previous status report is also optional. If present, is should exist in all status reports.
The details of the progress are expressed in a form of a table describing the outcome of execution of individual test cases or scenarios, cumulatively since the start of testing. Typical columns to be used are:
- Test case ID
- Test case name
- Last execution date
- The last execution status (not run, failed, partial, passed) or counts of failed and passed test executions
- Number of associated defects
- Brief comment
The listed tests cases, scenarios or procedures, can be grouped by test suites (if the report addresses several suites), test types or areas.
Test Completion Report
The test summary report is a management report that brings together the key information uncovered by the accomplished tests. It recapitulates the results of the testing activities and indicates whether the tested system is fit for purpose according to whether or not it has met acceptance criteria defined in the project plan. This is the key document in deciding whether the quality of the system and the performed are sufficient for to allow taking of the step following the testing. Although it provides a working assessment on success or failure of the system under test, the final decision is made by the evaluation team.
This document reports all pertinent information about the testing, including an assessment about how well the testing has been done, the number of incidents raised and outstanding, and crucially an assessment about the quality of the system. Also recorded for use in future planning are details of what was done, and how long it took.
The test summary report can have a structure similar to the test status report, but some details can be omitted from its tables. On the other hand, the narrative can be more elaborate, and it should also bring together all significant issues that were reported in individual status reports.
Provided data should be also sufficient for the assessments of the quality of the testing effort. In order to improve future test planning, it should records what testing was done and how long it took.
Test Design Specification
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