It’s certainly not the most exciting or glamorous element of software development, but without test documentation, it’s difficult to maintain continuity, consistency, and communication.
This is especially true when tight deadlines and even tighter budgets are the norm; it can be tempting to cut corners on testing documentation—or even skip it altogether.
However, comprehensive and well-maintained test documentation is critical to maintaining a structured testing process and testing standards as well as fostering collaboration, meeting regulatory requirements, and ensuring proper record-keeping.
Even better?
When done correctly, test documentation can help to reduce confusion, stress, and miscommunication about roles and expectations.
Whether your team is just beginning to think about creating comprehensive testing documentation or you’re looking to refine your process, here’s what you need to know:
Effective test documentation should cover several critical aspects of the testing process.
We’ve identified five of them that form the foundation of comprehensive test documentation:
Clearly defining project boundaries and testing goals is key for setting the right direction for the entire testing process. When timelines get tight or resources are pulled in multiple directions, having a documented scope and objectives helps to ensure alignment with priority elements and business objectives and to identify entry and exit criteria for each phase of testing.
Next, develop and continuously refine your software test strategy and approach. This element outlines the available testing approaches, tools, and roles—and even specifies when to use each method.
Key components of this documentation can include:
In other words, a well-defined test strategy can serve as a roadmap for the testing team, helping them to confirm that all necessary pieces of an application are consistently and thoroughly evaluated.
Equally important is the establishment and management of test environments and resources for the execution of testing activities.
This element covers all necessary hardware, software, and equipment configurations required for testing, such as:
Next, guidelines for creating a logical and comprehensive test schedule and, subsequently, milestones help to manage the overall timeline of testing activities and ensure alignment with broader project deadlines.
In particular, documentation should set standards for timelines for testing phases, list key deadlines and deliverables, and outline dependencies between test activities.
This should also establish clear communication channels and expectations for status updates and potential delays.
Finally, outlining your QA approach to defect management and reporting is key for maintaining quality standards and facilitating continuous improvement. This element should include recording your organization’s standards for identifying, documenting, and tracking defects found during testing.
These elements can include:
While every organization’s test documentation will be unique to their QA program, there are some universal best practices to help ensure your materials remain useful and relevant, and not just an administrative chore.
Here are some key best practices to consider:
Test documentation is more than just an administrative exercise—it’s also a roadmap for how your organization conducts testing, facilitates collaboration, ensures compliance with regulatory requirements, and provides a knowledge base for continuous reference.
Fortunately, leading test management platforms like TestMonitor make establishing and maintaining testing standards, recording and sharing results, and recording best practices simple. Want to see how we do it?