So much of the success of an implementation project hinges on the completeness of the testing. In order to do a good job in the testing phase, solid planning needs to be done up front to make sure the testing is done thoroughly and to make sure that the project is equipped to deal with whatever comes out of testing. Here are some key elements to building out a great testing plan.
Schedule
Define a schedule for when your testing activities are going to take place. Make sure that all elements of your schedule are accounted for including planning out the testing, determining who is testing what and when they are going to test it, when they will be able to log the results of the testing and ultimately when found issues or defects are going to be resolved. Breaking the testing out into bite-size pieces is the best way to attack this when it comes to building your schedule. Determine tester resource capacity alongside the demand that testing will require to help drive out the duration that will be required to complete the testing. By having all of this detail defined it will not only help plan and track progress but also be able to explain at the executive level the duration needed for testing along with the detail needed to support that duration.
How to Deal with Found Defects
Work with your team and project stakeholders to develop a process that everyone will adhere to when it comes to dealing with defects or issues found during the testing (spoiler alert – there will be defects and issues found during testing). Have a strong reporting solution in place for testers to be able to log their defects quickly and effectively with the requisite detail needed for your project team to quickly diagnose and troubleshoot the issue. Ensure that there is monitoring in place so as issues are logged that they are triaged and prioritized quickly so that any issues that are actively blocking testing from happening are put to the top of the queue. The more you have your processes defined up front and agreed to by all stakeholders, the smoother your defect remediation process will be.
Having a strong testing plan is the first step towards a successful testing phase of your project. No, your product is not going to be defect-free but your plan can be. Having a strategy in place that everyone is behind will help make sure that as your collective teams hit roadblocks (which the testing phase is designed for) that you respond together as a team and make sure that the product is thoroughly tested and issues addressed.