IEEE Standard 829-1983 Test Plan Template

This is a summary of the ANSI/IEEE Standard 829-1983. It describes a test plan as:

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

IEEE 829 Test Plan Template:

• Test Plan Identifier

• Introduction

• Test Items

• Features To Be Tested

• Features Not To Be Tested

• Approach

• Item Pass/Fail Criteria

• Suspension Criteria And Resumption Requirements

• Test Deliverables

• Testing Tasks

• Environmental Needs

• Responsibilities

• Staffing And Training Needs

• Schedule

• Risks And Contingencies

• Approvals

IEEE 829 Test Plan Template with Description:

• Test Plan Identifier:

A unique identifier

• Introduction

Summary of the items and features to be tested

Need for and history of each item (optional)

References to related documents such as project authorization, project plan, QA plan, configuration management plan, relevant policies, relevant standards

References to lower level test plans

• Test Items

Test items and their version

Characteristics of their transmittal media

References to related documents such as requirements specification, design specification, users guide, operations guide, installation guide

References to bug reports related to test items

Items which are specifically not going to be tested (optional)

• Features to be Tested

All software features and combinations of features to be tested

References to test-design specifications associated with each feature and combination of features

• Features Not to Be Tested

All features and significant combinations of features which will not be tested

The reasons these features won’t be tested

• Approach

Overall approach to testing

For each major group of features of combinations of featres, specify the approach

Specify major activities, techniques, and tools which are to be used to test the groups

Specify a minimum degree of comprehensiveness required

Identify which techniques will be used to judge comprehensiveness

Specify any additional completion criteria

Specify techniques which are to be used to trace requirements

Identify significant constraints on testing, such as test-item availability, testing-resource availability, and deadline

• Item Pass/Fail Criteria

Specify the criteria to be used to determine whether each test item has passed or failed testing

• Suspension Criteria and Resumption Requirements

Specify criteria to be used to suspend the testing activity

Specify testing activities which must be redone when testing is resumed

• Test Deliverables

Identify the deliverable documents: test plan, test design specifications, test case specifications, test procedure specifications, test item transmittal reports, test logs, test incident reports, test summary reports

Identify test input and output data

Identify test tools (optional)

• Testing Tasks

Identify tasks necessary to prepare for and perform testing

Identify all task interdependencies

Identify any special skills required

• Environmental Needs

Specify necessary and desired properties of the test environment: physical characteristics of the facilities including hardware, communications and system software, the mode of usage (i.e., stand-alone), and any other software or supplies needed

Specify the level of security required

Identify special test tools needed

Identify any other testing needs

Identify the source for all needs which are not currently available

• Responsibilities

Identify groups responsible for managing, designing, preparing, executing, witnessing, checking and resolving

Identify groups responsible for providing the test items identified in the Test Items section

Identify groups responsible for providing the environmental needs identified in the Environmental Needs section

• Staffing and Training Needs

Specify staffing needs by skill level

Identify training options for providing necessary skills

• Schedule

Specify test milestones

Specify all item transmittal events

Estimate time required to do each testing task

Schedule all testing tasks and test milestones

For each testing resource, specify its periods of use

• Risks and Contingencies

Identify the high-risk assumptions of the test plan

Specify contingency plans for each

• Approvals

Specify the names and titles of all persons who must approve the plan

Provide space for signatures and dates