Test plan and test strategy are 2 of the most confusing terms in software testing. Hence, the difference between test plan and test strategy is one of the most common testing interview questions.
In this article – Test Plan vs Test Strategy. We will study the key differences between the two. Let’s start with quick formal definitions first.
A test plan is a formal document derived from requirement documents. It describes in detail, the scope of testing and the different activities performed during testing.
Whereas, a test strategy is a high-level document describing the way testing will be carried out in an organization. It basically aims at providing a systematic approach to the software testing process.
Test Plan vs Test Strategy
| Test Plan | Test Strategy |
|---|---|
| A test plan describes in detail the scope of testing and the different activities performed in testing. | A test strategy is a high-level document containing some guidelines about the way testing will be carried out. |
| A test plan is specific to a particular project. | A test strategy is usually for a complete organization. |
| It describes the whole testing activities in detail – the techniques used, schedule, resources, etc. | It describes the high-level test design techniques to be used, environment specifications, etc. |
| It is prepared by the test lead or test manager. | It is generally prepared by the project manager. |
| A test plan document includes components like – features to be tested, components not to be tested, approach to testing, pass-fail criteria, test deliverables, estimates, assumptions, etc. | A test strategy document includes – scope, test approach, testing tools, test environment specifications, release control, risk analysis, etc. |
| Test plans can be changed or updated. | Test strategy is usually not changed. |
| It is about the details and specifics. | It is more about general approaches and methodologies. |
For detailed information on test plan and test strategy document, please check-
This completes our tutorial on the difference between test plan and test strategy documents. You can check the differences between some other commonly confused terms below.
More Difference Between
Kuldeep is the founder and lead author of ArtOfTesting. He is skilled in test automation, performance testing, big data, and CI-CD. He brings his decade of experience to his current role where he is dedicated to educating the QA professionals. You can connect with him on LinkedIn.
please check the spelling mistakes:
stategy=strategy
specifed=specified
Thanks! corrected.
Test Strategy is a document defining approach for a project – like what is overall change scope, what all platforms are impacted, what all type of testing is required (System Testing, System Integration Testing, Performance Testing, Regression, UAT, Security etc), testing approach how to achieve it, overall defect management approach, high level testing milestone and how the different platform team will collaborate during the course of project.
Test Plan specifies low level details of the a particular testing type (ST, SIT, UAT, NFT – a separate test plan for each). It defines the scope of testing, test scenarios, test cases. It defines how the testing will take place (Approach), who will do (Team details), when it will be done (Schedule). It also defines other details on how team will be managing testing like defect management, tools to be used, Test Data, Environment etc.
Hope this is helpful