Test Plan
A document that outlines the scope, objectives, approach, schedule, resources, and deliverables for testing a specific project or release.
A test plan answers the key questions: What will be tested? What will not be tested? How will testing be performed? Who will perform it? What are the entry and exit criteria? What environments and tools are needed? It serves as a contract between the QA team and stakeholders about what testing will cover and what risks are accepted.
Test plans range from lightweight one-pagers for small features to comprehensive documents for major releases. Agile teams often maintain a living test strategy document supplemented by per-sprint test charters.
Why It Matters for QA Teams
Without a test plan, teams waste effort testing low-risk areas while high-risk changes go unchecked. A plan ensures testing effort is focused on what matters most for the release.
Example
A test plan for a site redesign specifies: all pages will undergo visual regression testing across Chrome, Safari, and Firefox; the checkout flow will receive full E2E regression; accessibility will be audited against WCAG 2.2 AA; and load testing will simulate 2x current peak traffic. Mobile testing is out of scope for this phase.