Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC)
The Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC) is a series of sequential and systematic activities or phases that are followed to ensure the quality and reliability of a software product. STLC defines a process for planning, designing, executing, and reporting software testing activities throughout the software development life cycle. It helps organizations identify and rectify defects early in the development process, reducing the cost and effort required for fixing issues later in the software development life cycle.
The typical phases of the Software Testing Life Cycle include:
- Requirement Analysis: In this phase, testers and QA professionals study the project requirements, specifications, and design documents to understand the scope of testing and create a test plan.
- Test Planning: Test planning involves creating a detailed test plan that outlines the objectives, scope, testing strategy, test schedule, resources, and deliverables. It also defines the test environment and test data requirements.
- Test Design: Test design is the process of designing test cases and test scripts based on the requirements and specifications. This phase also involves creating test scenarios, identifying test data, and defining test conditions.
- Test Environment Setup: The test environment needs to be set up to mimic the production environment as closely as possible. This includes configuring hardware, software, and network components to create a stable testing environment.
- Test Execution: During this phase, testers execute the test cases and scripts on the software application. They record the test results, including any defects or issues encountered.
- Defect Reporting: If any defects or issues are identified during the test execution phase, they are reported in a defect tracking system. Defects are documented with details like severity, priority, steps to reproduce, and status.
- Defect Management: In this phase, defects are reviewed, prioritized, and assigned to development teams for resolution. Testers collaborate with developers to ensure defects are fixed and retested.
- Regression Testing: After defects are fixed, regression testing is performed to ensure that the changes do not introduce new defects or negatively impact existing functionality.
- Test Closure: Once all test cases have been executed, and the software meets the predefined quality criteria, the testing team prepares test summary reports and assesses whether the testing objectives have been met.
- Test Sign-Off: The testing team provides formal approval to release the software based on the test results. This signifies the end of the testing phase.
- Test Metrics and Reporting: Throughout the STLC, metrics related to testing progress, defect density, and other key indicators are collected and reported to project stakeholders.
- Continuous Improvement: After the release, a post-implementation review is conducted to identify areas for improvement in the testing process. Lessons learned are documented for future projects.
The STLC is not a rigid framework and can be adapted to suit the specific needs and methodologies of different software development projects, such as Agile or Waterfall. It ensures that testing is an integral part of the software development process, helping to deliver high-quality software products to customers.