Software Testing Lifecycle (STLC).

 

Software Testing Lifecycle:

The software testing lifecycle outlines which test activities should be performed and when they should be completed. It is carried out in a planned and methodical manner in order to increase product quality.

Various stages involved in software testing process are:

1) Requirement analysis:

This is the first stage of the STLC Process. At this step, the quality assurance team determines testable requirements and understands the requirements in terms of what we will be testing. If a disagreement arises or a requirement is not understood, the quality assurance team consults with multiple stakeholders, system architects, clients, and technical managers to gain thorough understanding of the demand. 

2)Test planning:

It is the most critical step of the software testing lifecycle, during which all testing strategies are defined. This stage is also known as the test strategy stage. Typically, a test manager is involved in this phase to determine the project's effort and cost estimates. When the requirement gathering phase is finished, this phase will begin. We can then begin the test strategy based on the requirements we've acquired. The testing effort estimation document is the end outcome of this process.

3) Test case development:

The test case development step begins once the planning phase is completed. This is the stage where the testing team writes specific test cases. In addition to test cases, the testing team prepares test data for testing. These test cases can be examined by peer members or the quality assurance team once the test data ready. In addition, a requirement traceability matrix has been created. Each test case is annotated with a requirement in the traceability matrix, which is an industry standard method for tracking requirements. We can also track backward and forward traceability using this RTM (Requirement traceability matrix). After that, you must prepare the testing environment. 

4) Environment setup

Environment setup is an essential component of STLC. Basically, the testing environment determines the conditions the software is testing in. It is an independent activity that can be started simultaneously with the test case development.

5) Test execution

The test execution step can begin after the preparation of test case development and test environment setup is completed. The testing team begins executing test cases in this phase, which is based on the test planning and test cases prepared in the previous step. 

6) Test Cycle Closure

Once the test case has been passed, it can be marked as passed. If any test case fails, a bug tracking system reports the defect to the development team, and the bug can be linked to the test cases for additional examination.