Testing Process Overview
Manager Tasks
Creating users – Users are generally created at the time of installation and should only change when testers leave or join the company.
Creating releases – Releases should ideally be created in advance, at the beginning of year, when the release schedule is created. If this is not known, releases can be created at any time, but must be created before test plans can be created.
Creating environments – Environments generally do not change and should be created at the time of installation. Some examples may be a Test, Staging and Production environment. If the software being tested is desktop software, environments for Windows XP, Vista, Linux etc. may be created.
Tester Tasks
Creating test plans – Once the software being developed is ready for quality assurance, a test plan will be created to detail the tests that will be run to ensure that it functions properly. This plan will be created under a release that the manager should have created previously. Other projects may use the same release.
Creating test cases – Test cases can be created at any time during the testing process. Test cases may be added or removed from the test plan to adjust to changing requirements for the software or changes in the depth of testing that is necessary. Even after execution, test cases may be added or removed. Generally speaking, however, the entire test plan should be complete before any test cases are executed.
Executing test cases – To store the results of test cases, such as whether the test was successful (passed) or unsuccessful (failed), cases must be executed. This task is the primary driver for determining the status of a particular plan or release via the reporting software.