Module 5 · Working like a QA engineer Lesson 13 of 15
Writing a test plan and strategy
A test plan says what you will test, what you will not, and how you will know it is done. It is one page, and it is what turns "I clicked around" into a decision someone can review.
The concept
The out-of-scope list is the most useful part: it is the sentence that protects you when somebody later asks why the untested corner shipped.
Keep exit criteria numeric - counts of open bugs by severity - so "we are ready" becomes a fact rather than an opinion at the release meeting.
Test plan - Job alerts feature
In scope: opt-in, digest job, opt-out, duplicate guard
Out of scope: admin editing of templates
Environments: Chrome, Firefox, 1 mid-range Android
Test types: functional, regression, one API check, smoke
Exit criteria: 0 open S1/S2, smoke green on the release build
Risks: email delivery is external - test with a sandboxWorked example
In scope: login, search, apply. Out of scope: the admin panel. Exit criteria: no open S1 or S2, and smoke passes on the release build.
Your practice task
Write a one-page test plan for one feature with in-scope, out-of-scope and exit criteria.
Do this before moving on. Reading a solution teaches the shape of it; typing it teaches you.
Key takeaway
The out-of-scope list is the most useful part: it is the sentence that protects you when somebody later asks why the untested corner shipped.
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Finish every lesson to unlock the certificate. Each one ends in a practice task — do them and the final project brief writes itself.