Difference between Test Plan and Test Strategy
| Test Plan | Test Strategy |
|---|---|
| Test Planning is done to identify possible issues and dependencies, to bring risks to surface so that they can be addressed. The test plan is the set of ideas that guide or represent the test process. | Test Strategy is a long term plan of action. If you want to document your overall test approach to projects, you take this information and put it in a document that does not change much over time. You can extract information which is not project specific and put it into Test approach or Test Strategy document. |
| Some of the Test Plan contents: test plan identifier, introduction, test items, features to be tested, features not to be tested, approach, item pass/fail criteria, suspension criteria and resumption requirements, test deliverables, testing tasks, environmental needs, responsibilities, staffing and training needs, schedule, risks and contingencies and approvals. | Some of the Test strategy contents: testing objective, methods of testing new functions, total time and resources required for the project, the testing environment, test strategies (approach) describe how the product risks of the stakeholders are mitigated at the test-level, which types of test are to be performed and which entry and exit criteria apply. |
| An example of Test Plan document: TEST PLAN OUTLINE (IEEE 829 FORMAT). | An example of Test Strategy document: TEST STRATEGY DOCUMENT. |
Other good links on difference between Test Plan and Test Strategy:
1. You can go through the post: A Question About Test Strategy by James Bach.
2. Test Strategy: What is it?, What does it look like? [Link]
Sources:
1. Test Strategy.
2. Test Plan.
3. Agile Testing: A Practical Guide For Testers And Agile Teams By Crispin.
4. Lessons Learned in Software Testing: A Context-Driven Approach By Cem Kaner, James Bach, Bret Pettichord.
Also See:
Software Test Plan
Test Strategy