From Chaos to Clarity: Crafting a winning Test Strategy

As a fresh face in a new company, I was thrown into the deep end and assigned to projects straight away. It didn’t take long for the first request to come in: “Let me know when you have a test strategy and then we can discuss it.” Meanwhile, I was still struggling to change my password and get all the necessary tools installed. Talk about pressure!

But let’s get down to business. How does one go about finding the right test strategy for their product? It’s a question that naturally arises when developing a software product and holding the role of a QA manager. With countless tools and testing methods at your fingertips, how do you choose the best one? It can be overwhelming at times, but fear not — here are some key points to consider when planning your test strategy.

Uncover the Heart of Your Product

First and foremost, learn everything there is to know about your product and its goals. This is crucial as you need to fully understand what you are building and what the desired outcome is. Is it an app? What kind of app? What are the key features that must work for the product to be successful? Once you know what the most important aspects of the product are, you can prioritize them in your test strategy.

Mind-Reading 101: How to Talk to Customers and Meet Their Needs

Next up, talk to the customer and their needs. It’s not uncommon for everyone in the development team to know what needs to be done and how to do it, but the customer might have a different understanding of the end product and its key features. For example, if they’re fixated on a fancy frontend and don’t care about the backend, you need to have a chat with them about the importance of both. Nevertheless, this knowledge will help you decide which criteria to use when testing.

Conversations with Developers and Deciphering TechStacks

Communication is key, and as a QA manager, you need to talk to your team — both developers and project managers — about the technology they are using, what APIs are being utilized, what will be built in-house, and what external sources will be used. Armed with this information, you can begin to consider possible testing tools and frameworks.

It’s important to communicate with your team about your testing strategy and how you plan to test specific features and user stories. Developers may already test some aspects of their code using unit tests or performing a quick sanity check after the build. If they have the knowledge and resources, they can also be part of the testing process. Be sure to collaborate with your team to ensure that testing is thorough and efficient.

Balancing Time and Budget for Maximum Testing Efficiency

Speaking of budget, the best test strategy in the world is useless if you don’t have the time or budget to execute it. Be sure to discuss the project’s budget for QA with the project manager or product owner. If it’s low, concentrate on testing the key features and outsource as much testing as possible. If you have more time, you can consider writing detailed test cases and implementing test automation if it’s useful.

Craft a Flexible Yet Effective Test Strategy

Finally, take the test strategy as a guideline but don’t be too rigid with it. Things can change quickly during software development, and the agile approach doesn’t stop at the QA department. Be prepared to adjust your test strategy along the way. Your strategy should be loose enough to adapt to changes but detailed enough that everything is clear.

Finding the perfect test strategy can be overwhelming, especially for those new to the field. However, if you approach it step-by-step and consider all the necessary factors, you’ll be well on your way to creating a solid foundation that can be refined and improved upon over time. Just don’t forget to change that pesky password first!