A test strategy is a plan that defines the approach for testing in a software development cycle. In this case, Quality Assurance is a primary perspective for ensuring an impeccable test strategy. A strategist provides generic test entry & exit criteria for every level. The relationships between the levels is also an important parameter.

What is The Primary Objective?

The objective of a test strategy is to have a firm hold at the grasping of the end goal, simultaneously, managing the project risk and the product. For the test strategy to serve for the long haul, it’s important to perform the necessary activities for each level. Different Types of Test Strategies and Their Areas of Application.There are different levels of test strategies. Here, we have composed a list of various test strategy levels and what each represents. Additionally, we have also mentioned the areas of application for each level. So, let’s dive in. The different types of strategies include:

  1. Methodical Strategies
  2. Process/Standard Compliant Strategies
  3. Reactive Strategies
  4. Consultative Strategies
  5. Regression Averse Strategies

Now, let’s dive into the details of every level.

1. Analytical Strategy

The foremost task the team has to accomplish at this level is to identify the various test conditions they have to cover. This level is basically about risk-based testing. The three primary processes include: Deriving test conditions from the requirements Designing and implementation of tests for covering test conditions.Execution of tests in an order Each test covers certain requirements priority which decides the test sequence. The requirement statuses include:

  1. Requirement tested and passed
  2. Requirement tested and failed
  3. Requirement not yet fully tested.
  4. Requirement testing blocked.
Model-Based Strategy

At this level, the team determines how the system should behave and check the input conditions to which it’s subjected to. Using these two criteria, a model-based strategy involves developing a model of the system environment. There are various throughput rates, resource allocations, and response times a team has to consider for developing a model. These are, ideal, expected, as well as minimum throughput rates. To decide these parameters the teams have to consider the present product environment, Data Capacity, Software, Hardware, Network, and Infrastructure.One can also use this strategy for Operational profiling, for instance, testing the performance of a mobile app with a high growth rate.

Methodological Strategies

This set of strategies is based on Quality Characteristics. The test team makes use of a predetermined set of test conditions, for instance, quality standard, a checklist, or a collection of generalized and logical test conditions subject to a particular domain type of testing or application testing. You can use these strategies for testing the maintenance of ecommerce websites. Of course, you have to use the checklist for identifying links, attributes, and key functions for different pages.

Process/Standard Compliant Strategies:

The testing team focuses on addressing the following aspects at this level.

  1. Documentation
  2. Proper Identification
  3. Use of Test Basis & Test Oracle
  4. Organizing the Test Team

If you’re working on an agile framework, you can follow Scrum Agile Management Techniques for testing the projects. The first step is to analyze user stories that provide an idea of specific features. After that comes estimating test efforts, identifying test conditions for each user story. The execution of tests is the final step followed by reporting the status of each story from time to time.

Reactive Strategies

At this level, teams wait till the system under test receives the software. Only after that, they can carry out the designing and implementation of the tests. Testers keep on reporting the result of the testing session to the Test Manager from time to time. Defect Based Attacks are one of the key areas of reactive strategies. This includes exploratory testing on Menu based application. This level also comprises test characters containing the development of screens, menu selections, and features. It marks the structuring of testers’ exploratory testing sessions with the help of the charters. Every tester is responsible for a set of test charters.

Regression- Aversion Testing Strategies

Functional and/or Non-Functional Regression test automation has risks at different levels. So, this level is all about using various useful techniques to manage this risk. Testers can also use it as Extensive Automation by using GUI based test automation tool or any scripting language to automate the manual tests. This is for automating The typical and exception use cases for Web-Based Applications. The execution of these tests occurs any time the application undergoes a modification.

How To Choose?

Depending on the requirements, development models, and the means of a firm, the team members concerned can select a specific test strategy. Every company can modify test strategies depending on the suitability of a subject or operation.

Here are some striking advantages of test strategies.

A test strategy provides a description of a wide array of Integration procedures, independence of testing, Test specification techniques, configuration management approach, mandatory and optional standards, and reusability of software and test work products. Test strategy identifies the test control, test management, and the data meant for recording. This data reports the progress of testing. A test strategy also defines testing tools such as Defect Management Systems, Test Management, and Automated Test Tools.


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