In software testing, a test plan is a must-have. A well-defined and comprehensive test plan provides all stakeholders involved with necessary information of the testing roadmap. Through it all members gain a shared vision for the testing approaches, strategies, objectives, resources, and timelines.

In this article, we will deep-dive into what a test plan is, why it is so important, and how to create a good test plan that truly improves the overall efficiency of your testing activities.

What is A Test Plan?

A test plan is a document that outlines the approach, strategy, scope, objectives, resources, timeline, and risks for testing a software system.

In Agile development, the test plan is created in smaller parts during each iteration rather than all at once at the start. This allows for easier updates and adjustments as needed throughout the project.

Benefits of Test Planning

Everyone benefits in one way or another from a good test plan.

For QA Managers: Without a test plan, testing efforts can become chaotic, wasting time and resources. A solid plan keeps everything organized and adaptable, allowing you to adjust timelines, metrics, and resources as needed.

For Team Members: A clear test plan acts as a roadmap, setting concrete goals and outlining tools, methods, and the test environment. It helps the team stay aligned and on track throughout each sprint.

For Stakeholders and Developers: The test plan is a reference that keeps everyone in sync, tracks progress, and enables quick problem-solving if issues arise, ensuring alignment with project goals.

The test plan also identifies risks and outlines strategies to handle them, preparing the team for unexpected scenarios and boosting confidence in testing.

Creating a test plan is a collaborative effort. The QA manager is usually the owner of the test plan, and it usually takes about 2 - 3 days to build and review a simple test plan, while complex test plans may take about 1 week or more to fully finish.

Components of a Test Plan

Diagram showing the key components of a test plan, including objectives, scope, environment, resources, schedule, deliverables, and risk management.

Here are 8 crucial items that should be included in a good test plan:

Component	Description
Objectives	Define the testing team’s goals using the SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound). Focus on functionality, performance, usability, security, and compatibility.
Approach	High-level overview of testing strategy, including types of tests (functional, performance, security) and testing methodology. Cover tools, techniques, and success metrics.
Scope	Define the extent and boundaries of testing, specifying what will be tested (in scope) and what will not (out of scope).
Test Deliverables	List the documentation and artifacts to be produced during the testing process (e.g., test cases, reports). Specify format, frequency, and distribution of deliverables.
Dependencies	Identify any dependencies in the testing process, such as required modules or services. Include plans for mock modules if development isn't complete.
Test Environment	Describe the hardware, software, and network configurations needed for testing. Specify if testing will be done in a local or remote environment.
Risk Management	Outline potential risks (e.g., missing deliverables, resource changes) and mitigation strategies. Use dependency mapping to anticipate adjustments.
Schedule	Define the testing timeline, including milestones for manual and/or automated testing phases. Highlight deadlines for each testing activity.
Roles and Responsibilities	Assign specific roles to team members and detail their responsibilities. Include communication channels and protocols to ensure smooth collaboration.

Including these elements makes a test plan “good” by ensuring it’s thorough, organized, and outcome-focused. It reduces testing risks, supports teamwork, and lets stakeholders easily track and assess progress.

Test Plan vs Test Strategy: Key Differences

Simply put:

The test plan focuses on the specifics of testing for a particular project
The test strategy sets the overarching approach and principles for testing across projects or the entire organization.

Here's a table to clarify the differences between the two:

Aspect	Test Plan	Test Strategy
Definition	A Test Plan outlines the approach, scope, objectives, resources, and schedule for testing a specific project or product.	A Test Strategy defines the high-level approach to testing for an organization or a project, guiding the overall testing process.
Scope	Focuses on the details of how testing will be carried out for a specific project.	Encompasses a broader perspective, outlining principles, objectives, and methods to achieve consistent testing across projects.
Purpose	Provides a detailed roadmap for the testing activities, including what, when, and how to test.	Sets the direction for testing efforts, aligning them with the organization's goals and helping in making important testing decisions.
Audience	Primarily for the project team, including testers, developers, managers, and stakeholders.	Aimed at management, project leads, and high-level stakeholders involved in decision-making for testing strategies.
Contents	Includes test scope, objectives, resources, schedule, test environment, test cases, entry/exit criteria, risks, and deliverables.	Covers testing approach, testing types (functional, performance, security, etc.), tools, defect management, risk assessment, and overall process.
Level of Detail	Provides a detailed breakdown of test activities, including specific test cases, procedures, and schedules.	Offers a broader overview of the testing approach, principles, and guidelines, rather than focusing on specific details.
Timeframe	Typically created for a specific project phase or release.	Generally applies to multiple projects or the entire organization and is less time-bound.
Flexibility	More rigid and specific to the project, allowing less flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances.	Offers more flexibility in adapting to various project needs, as it doesn't delve into specifics.
Dependencies	Based on the broader guidelines outlined in the Test Strategy.	Driven by the organization's policies, best practices, and project-specific requirements.
Communication	Essential for aligning the project team and stakeholders on the testing approach and execution.	Ensures that testing efforts are aligned with the overall organizational goals and standards.

Learn more: What is a Test Strategy and How To Create One?

How To Create a Test Plan?

Before creating a test plan, involve all key stakeholders.

QAs shouldn’t work alone—developers should provide technical insights, and business analysts or domain experts can offer business context. Collaborative planning ensures a well-rounded approach.

After that, proceed with the following test planning steps:

How To create a test plan

1. Product Analysis

This initial stage involves understanding the product’s architecture and key features. Testers review specifications and documentation to identify what needs testing and any dependencies with external systems that could introduce bugs.

Ask stakeholders:

What are the product’s main objectives?
Who is the target audience?
Which features are most important to the customer?
What risks or challenges might arise?
What critical quality metrics must be met?

2. Determine Testing Objective

From the Product Analysis, the QA manager creates a Test Strategy document outlining project objectives and testing types, guiding resource and tech preparation. Testing types are grouped into functional tests (e.g., API testing) and non-functional tests (e.g., visual testing).

Read more: 15 Types of QA Testing You Should Know

Test objectives can change, but early priorities help teams focus on critical goals first, especially those with many dependencies. As requirements shift, objectives may be re-prioritized, and the test plan will reflect these changes.

Entry and Exit Criteria are conditions set to start and complete testing phases, guiding the scope of testing. Here are some examples:

Entry Criteria: Development complete, test data ready, requirements signed off, test cases reviewed, and automation setup.
Exit Criteria: All critical defects resolved, tests passed, performance targets met, acceptance criteria signed off, and deployment ready.

These criteria are usually defined and agreed upon from the get-go so teams have a clear idea of where they are supposed to be heading.

Sometimes teams may even need to define a suspension criteria. These are conditions for when should teams stop testing entirely and send the code back to the dev team to troubleshoot since there are too many bugs that it becomes counterproductive to test.

To avoid this, teams usually conduct sanity checks beforehand (which are basically small-scale testing to gauge the overall quality of the code) so that they don’t waste resources doing unnecessary tests on a broken build.

3. Identify test scenarios based on the outlined testing objectives

This is when we get into the granularity and the specifics. Based on all of the information outlined before, the QA team members can now start brainstorming test scenarios. Think about how users interact with your system.

Let's say that the testing team is working on testing a new e-commerce website that allows users to purchase products online. The team has the following business logic, requirements, and test objectives:

Business Logic:

Users can search for products by category, name, or brand.
Users can add products to their shopping cart and checkout.
Users can make payments using different payment methods.

Requirements:

The search feature must be accurate and fast.
The shopping cart and checkout must display accurate pricing information.
The payment process must be reliable and secured

Test Objectives:

Verify the accuracy and speed of the search feature.
Verify the accuracy of the pricing information in the shopping cart and in checkout
Verify the security and ease of use of the payment process.

4. Resource Planning

With all of the important items listed out, both teams have a clear idea of what will be tested. The QA manager can now work on resource planning. Usually the following resources should be available.

Hardware
Software
Testing tools
Personnel
Training materials
Testing environment
Data
Time
Budget
Communication and collaboration tools

5. Define Test Deliverables

Test deliverables are the artifacts that are produced during the testing process and that provide evidence of the testing activities that were performed. These deliverables may vary depending on the type of testing being conducted and the specific requirements of the project. Examples of test deliverables include:

Test Cases
Test Scripts
Test Results
Test Summary Report
Defect Reports
Traceability Matrix
Test Environment
User Acceptance Report

6. Define Test Schedule

After that, based on the list of deliverables, you can start thinking about the test schedule. Estimate the approximate time it takes for each stage of the testing activities based on their complexity, their dependencies, resources required, and many other factors.

Set milestones along the way. They are the signals and temporary checkpoints to tell you and your team where your team is heading. Have clear delivery dates.

If you notice, we are essentially following the SMART rules. Sticking to the 5 letters of the SMART rules and you should have a well-defined test plan.

7. Review And Finalize

This is the final QA step for your QA plan. Review the items you laid out. Ask yourself several questions to check your previous decisions:

Have we included all the key requirements and features that need to be tested?
What are the potential risks that could affect the testing process, and have we included strategies to mitigate them in the test plan?
Is the test environment fully prepared and available for testing? Have we checked that it meets the requirements outlined in the test plan?
Have we allocated the necessary resources for the testing activities, such as personnel and tools?
Is the testing schedule feasible and does it align with the overall project timeline?

Once it’s all good, you have a clear test plan ready to be used.

Test Plan Sample Document

Here is a sample test plan for a Ride-Sharing Mobile Application (similar to an Uber/Lyft application):

Component	Details
Objectives	The goal is to ensure the app’s core functionality (ride booking, payments, GPS tracking) performs as expected and meets performance, usability, and security standards. Specific objectives include: Verify flawless transaction flows Ensure compatibility on Android/iOS
Approach	The test strategy combines manual and automated testing. Manual testing will be used for usability, exploratory, and user experience testing. Automated testing will handle regression and load tests. Functional, performance, and security testing will be conducted.
Scope	In Scope: User authentication Ride request functionality (GPS, map integration) Payments and fare calculation Push notifications for ride status
Scope	Out of Scope: Web version of the platform Older OS versions below Android 6/iOS 12
Test Deliverables	Test cases (automated and manual) Defect reports<est execution report Final test summary report These deliverables will be shared bi-weekly with stakeholders and archived for future regression testing.
Dependencies	Integration with Google Maps API for location services Third-party payment gateways (Stripe, PayPal) Updated mobile devices (Android 13, iOS 16) Contingency plan: use mock services for APIs if live systems are unavailable for testing.
Test Environment	Devices: Android 11-13, iOS 14-16 Server: Linux with MySQL Network: Mobile data (3G/4G/5G) and Wi-Fi testing
Risk Management	Identified Risks: Delayed API availability from third-party services App crashes under high load Mitigation Strategies: Use mock services for API testing if delayed Load testing to handle performance bottlenecks.
Schedule	Timeline: Test Planning: Sept 1 - Sept 3 Test Case Design: Sept 4 - Sept 6 Functional Testing: Sept 7 - Sept 8 Security and Performance Testing: Sept 9 - Sept 10 Test Reporting: Sept 11 - Sept 12
Roles and Responsibilities	QA Lead: Jane Smith - Overall responsibility for test execution and reporting Test Engineers: Perform test case execution and bug reporting Developers: Fix bugs identified during testing DevOps: Set up and maintain test environment

How To Make Adjustments In A Test Plan?

Identify the reason for the adjustment: What has changed that requires an adjustment to the test plan? How will the adjustment affect the overall project goals and objectives?
Evaluate the impact of the adjustment: What are the potential risks and challenges associated with the adjustment? How will the adjustment affect the schedule, budget, or other project resources?
Update the affected sections of the test plan: Be aware of the dependencies in the test plan: 1 change can always influence another part.
Review and approve the changes with relevant stakeholders: encourage transparency in your team. A team-wide email should be good enough, but for more drastic changes, you may want a meeting to communicate more thoroughly

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: What is a test plan?

A test plan is a document that describes the scope, approach, resources, and schedule of intended testing activities. It identifies the items to be tested, the features to be tested, the testing tasks, who will do each task, and any risks requiring contingency planning.

Q2: What should be included in a test plan?

A test plan should include objectives, scope, approach, resources, schedule, test deliverables, dependencies, test environment, risk management, roles and responsibilities, and a communication plan.

Q3: How is test planning done in Agile development?

In Agile development, test planning is iterative and done in smaller chunks during each sprint. This allows for continuous revision and adjustment based on feedback and changing requirements.

Q4: Who is responsible for creating a test plan?

Typically, the QA manager is responsible for creating the test plan, but it should be a collaborative effort involving input from developers, business analysts, and other stakeholders to ensure comprehensive coverage and accuracy.