Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC) defines and includes all the phases that are responsible to completely test the software or application. It consists of the following phases
1. Planning
2. Analysis
3. Design
4. Construction
5. Testing Cycles
6. Final Testing & Implementation
7. Post Implementation
1. Planning:
The planning phase is a also referred to as the Product Definition Phase
In this phase test plan, quality assurance plan, plan to manage test cases and project schedule are defined. It also detects
- Ø Problem categorization
- Ø Acceptance criteria
- Ø Time of review
- Ø Database to be used for testing
- Ø Metrics to be used
- Ø Measurement Criteria
2. Analysis
The analysis phase also referred to as a External Document phase, develops functional validation matrix and test cycle matrix, Test cases are identified and written based on functional validation matrix, Areas of stress and performance testing are identified. The number of test cycles, required for the project is recognized. Review on documents, test environments, external documents etc are performed.
3. Design
The design phase is an Architecture Document Phase, where verification and finalization of certain documents happen. Estimation of resources and risk assessment are also performed at this phase. The following documents are reviewed
- Ø Test Plan
- Ø Test Cases
- Ø Test Cycles
- Ø Functional matrix
- Ø Stress and Performance areas
4. Construction
Construction phase is a unit testing phase, where the test plans, test cycle metrics, test cases, stress testing and performance testing are made complete. It also provides support for unit testing and QA acceptance test suite
5. Testing Cycles
The testing cycle phase is a system testing and bug fixing phase. At this phase every test cycle is executed, bugs are identified & verified, the corresponding test cases are modified and added if required. The same process continues for all test cycles.
6. Final Testing & Implementation
At the final testing & implementation phase codes are freezed i.e. all front end test cases, back end test cases, stress and performance tests are executed. It also provides defect tracking metrics, complexity and design metrics. Estimates for test cases and test plan updations are also performed. The deliverables are properly documented
7. Post Implementation
The post implementation phase is the final phase of the testing life cycle. It includes
- Ø Defect Report preparation
- Ø Identifying alternatives to prevent similar problems
- Ø Identifying methods to overcome similar problems
- Ø Check for the testing environment.
- Ø Conducting reviews for the entire project
Written By: – Srikant Das, QA Engineer, Mindfire Solutions
