Test Documentation in Software Testing (Example)

What is Test Documentation?

Test documentation is a documentation of artifacts created before or during the testing of software. It helps the testing team estimate required effort, track resources and progress, and ensure adequate test coverage. The record and reports of the test are a complete suite of documents that allow you to describe and document test planning, test design, test execution, and test results that are drawn from the testing activity.

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Why the Need for Test Formality?

For a newbie, it’s easy to assume that testing is executing the various sections of code on an ad-hoc basis and verifying the results. But in the real world, testing is a very formal activity and is documented in detail. Test documentation makes planning, review, and execution of testing easy as well as verifiable.

The degree of test formality depends on:

• The type of Application Under Test (AUT).
• Standards followed by your organization.
• The maturity of the development process.

Testing activities typically consume between 30% and 50% of total software development effort. Documentations help to identify test process improvement that can be applied to future projects.

What are the Types of Test Documentation?

Here are the important types of test documentation:

“In practice, these documents are created at different stages — from early planning (test policy, strategy) to execution and closure (defect and summary reports).”

Types of Testing Documents	Description
Test policy	It is a high-level document that describes principles, methods, and all the important testing goals of the organization.
Test strategy	A high-level document that identifies the test levels (types) to be executed for the project.
Test plan	A test plan is a complete planning document that contains the scope, approach, resources, schedule, etc. of testing activities.
Requirements Traceability Matrix	This is a document that connects the requirements to the test cases.
Test Scenario	Test Scenario is an item or event of a software system that could be verified by one or more Test cases.
Test Case	It is a group of input values, execution preconditions, expected execution postconditions, and results. It is developed for a Test Scenario.
Test Data	Test data is data that exists before a test is executed. It is used to execute the test case.
Defect Report	A defect report is a documented report of any flaw in a software system that fails to perform its expected function.
Test summary report	The test summary report is a high-level document that summarizes testing activities conducted as well as the test results.

What are the Best Practices to Achieve Test Documentation?

In this section, we shall learn about the best practices that help achieve test documentation with examples to help you understand it better:

• Involve QA Early in the Project: Include the QA team from the project’s beginning so test documentation develops alongside product design and requirements.
  Example: QA collaborates during sprint planning to draft initial test cases based on user stories.
• Keep Documents Updated: Don’t just create test documents and forget them — update them whenever requirements or features change.
  Example: When a login API changes, update the related test cases and results immediately.
• Use Version Control: Manage and track all changes to test documents through version control systems to avoid confusion and data loss.
  Example: Store test plans in GitHub to maintain a clear version history and rollback options.
• Document for Clarity and Purpose: Record only what helps you and your stakeholders understand testing progress and deliverables.
  Example: Include test summary reports highlighting passed, failed, and blocked test cases for management review.
• Use Standard Templates: Follow a consistent format — such as Excel or Word templates — to make documentation easier to create and review.
  Example: Use a standard “Test Case Template” with fields for ID, description, preconditions, and expected results.
• Centralize Document Storage: Keep all project-related documents in one accessible location to ensure team members can reference or update them easily.
  Example: Store test artifacts in a shared Google Drive folder accessible to the entire QA and dev team.
• Include Sufficient Detail: Avoid vague or incomplete information; detailed documentation improves understanding and reduces errors during test execution.
  Example: Instead of “Check login,” write “Verify user login with valid credentials redirects to the dashboard successfully.”

When Should You Create Test Documentation for Software Testing?

Here are some of the key points on when you should create test documentation for software testing:

• Planning Phase: Before test execution begins, to define scope, objectives, and testing strategy clearly.
• Test Preparation: During test planning, to establish timelines, resources, and environment requirements efficiently.
• Requirement Analysis: After the requirement analysis, to ensure complete coverage of functional and non-functional specifications.
• Design Standardization: Before designing test cases, to standardize formats and maintain traceability across all documents.
• Scenario Documentation: During test design, to document scenarios, inputs, expected outputs, and test data details.
• Execution Readiness: Before test execution, to verify the readiness of the test environment, tools, and documentation accuracy.
• Post Evaluation: After testing, to record results, defects, and lessons learned for process improvement.

Which Types of Templates are Required for Test Documentation?

Here are some of the templates that you require for test documentation in software testing:

Template Name	Tools
Test Plan Template	Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or Confluence for collaborative editing and version control
Test Case Template	TestRail, Zephyr (in JIRA), Xray, or Excel/Google Sheets for structured test management
Test Scenario Template	JIRA, TestLink, or Google Sheets for documenting high-level testing conditions
Requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM) Template	Excel, Google Sheets, or TestRail for mapping requirements to test cases
Defect Report Template	JIRA, Bugzilla, or Azure DevOps for defect logging and tracking
Test Summary Report Template	Confluence, Google Docs, or TestRail for compiling test outcomes and analysis

Pros and Cons of Test Documentation

Pros

• The main reason behind creating test documentation is to either reduce or remove any uncertainties about the testing activities. It helps remove ambiguity, which often arises when it comes to the allocation of tasks.
• Documentation not only offers a systematic approach to software testing, but it also acts as training material to freshers in the software testing process.
• It serves as a good marketing and sales strategy to showcase test documentation to exhibit a mature testing process.
• Test documentation helps you offer a quality product to the client within specific time limits.
• In Software Engineering, test documentation also helps to configure or set up the program through the configuration document and operator manuals.
• Test documentation helps you improve transparency with the client.

Cons

• The cost of the documentation may surpass its value as it is very time-consuming.
• Many times, it is written by people who can’t write well or who don’t know the material.
• Keeping track of changes requested by the client and updating corresponding documents is tiring.
• Poor documentation directly reflects the quality of the product, as a misunderstanding between the client and the organization can occur.

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Test Documentation

Here are the most common mistakes that you should avoid in a test documentation:

1. Avoid writing unclear or ambiguous test case descriptions.
2. Do not skip documenting test preconditions and dependencies.
3. Never forget to include expected results for each test.
4. Avoid inconsistent formatting across different test documents.
5. Do not use vague or non-measurable test objectives.
6. Never omit version control for test documentation updates.
7. Avoid duplicating information across multiple test artifacts.
8. Do not neglect reviewing documentation for accuracy and completeness.

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