Test Plans
A test plan defines when and how to run tests. Unlike test suites (which organize tests), test plans schedule and coordinate test execution.
What is a Test Plan?
A test plan specifies:
- Which tests to run (selected suites or individual cases)
- When to run them (schedule, trigger, manual)
- Who executes them (assigned testers)
- Where to run them (environment configuration)
- Why this test run exists (release verification, regression, etc.)
Test Plan Components
- Selected Tests: Specific test suites and cases included in the plan
- Schedule: When the test should run (one-time, recurring, manual)
- Assignees: Team members responsible for execution
- Environment: Target environment (dev, staging, production)
- Milestone Link: Connects to release milestones for tracking
Test Plan Lifecycle
- Draft: Being planned, not yet ready for execution
- Active: Scheduled and ready to execute
- Completed: Execution finished, results available
Plans vs Suites
Test plans and suites are complementary but different:
Suites = What tests exist (organization) Plans = When to run tests (scheduling)
A single suite can be included in multiple test plans:
- "Authentication Suite" might run daily in "Smoke Test Plan" and weekly in "Full Regression Plan"
Use Cases
Release Testing: Plan includes all regression tests, scheduled for pre-release verification
Continuous Testing: Plan includes smoke tests, runs on every code commit
Milestone Verification: Plan links to a release milestone, tracks progress toward completion
Related
- Test Suites - Tests selected for plans
- Launches - Test runs created from plans
- Milestones - Goals tracked via test plans