Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC)

Requirement Analysis:

Requirement Analysis is the first step of the Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC). In this phase quality assurance team understands the requirements like what is to be tested. If anything is missing or not understandable then the quality assurance team meets with the stakeholders to better understand the detailed knowledge of requirements

• Reviewing the software requirements document (SRD) and other related documents
• Interviewing stakeholders to gather additional information
• Identifying any ambiguities or inconsistencies in the requirements
• Identifying any missing or incomplete requirements
• Identifying any potential risks or issues that may impact the testing process

Test Planning:

Test Planning is the most efficient phase of the software testing life cycle where all testing plans are defined. In this phase manager of the testing, team calculates the estimated effort and cost for the testing work. This phase gets started once the requirement-gathering phase is completed.

• Identifying the testing objectives and scope
• Developing a test strategy: selecting the testing methods and techniques that will be used
• Identifying the testing environment and resources needed
• Identifying the test cases that will be executed and the test data that will be used
• Estimating the time and cost required for testing
• Assigning roles and responsibilities to the testing team
• Reviewing and approving the test plan

Test Case Development:

The test case development phase gets started once the test planning phase is completed. In this phase testing team notes down the detailed test cases. The testing team also prepares the required test data for the testing. When the test cases are prepared then they are reviewed by the quality assurance team.

• Identifying the test cases that will be developed
• Writing test cases that are clear, concise, and easy to understand
• Creating test data and test scenarios that will be used in the test cases
• Identifying the expected results for each test case
• Reviewing and validating the test cases
• Updating the requirement traceability matrix (RTM) to map requirements to test cases

Test Environment Setup:

Test environment setup is a vital part of the STLC. Basically, the test environment decides the conditions on which software is tested. This is independent activity and can be started along with test case development. In this process, the testing team is not involved. either the developer or the customer creates the testing environment.

Test Execution:

After the test case development and test environment setup test execution phase gets started. In this phase testing team starts executing test cases based on prepared test cases in the earlier step.

• Test execution: The test cases and scripts created in the test design stage are run against the software application to identify any defects or issues.
• Defect logging: Any defects or issues that are found during test execution are logged in a defect tracking system, along with details such as the severity, priority, and description of the issue.
• Test data preparation: Test data is prepared and loaded into the system for test execution
• Test environment setup: The necessary hardware, software, and network configurations are set up for test execution
• Test execution: The test cases and scripts are run, and the results are collected and analyzed.
• Test result analysis: The results of the test execution are analyzed to determine the software’s performance and identify any defects or issues.
• Defect retesting: Any defects that are identified during test execution are retested to ensure that they have been fixed correctly.
• Test Reporting: Test results are documented and reported to the relevant stakeholders.

Test Closure:

Test closure is the final stage of the Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC) where all testing-related activities are completed and documented. The main objective of the test closure stage is to ensure that all testing-related activities have been completed and that the software is ready for release. Test closure is the final stage of the Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC) where all testing-related activities are completed and documented.