testplan-test-planning-verification-strategy

name	testplan - Test Planning & Verification Strategy
description	Design comprehensive test strategy and plans for system verification and validation. Defines test levels, types, cases, environments, and criteria to ensure thorough coverage.
output	{"format":"table"}

Test Planning & Verification Strategy

Input: $ARGUMENTS

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Interpretations

Before executing, identify which interpretation matches the user's input:

Interpretation 1 — Create a test plan for a new system: The user has a system or product under development and needs a comprehensive test strategy covering all test levels, types, environments, and criteria from scratch. Interpretation 2 — Audit an existing test plan for gaps: The user has an existing test approach and wants to identify missing test coverage, weak areas, or risks in their current verification strategy. Interpretation 3 — Design test cases for specific requirements: The user has a defined set of requirements and needs detailed test case specifications with procedures, expected results, and traceability.

If ambiguous, ask: "I can help with creating a full test plan for a new system, auditing an existing test plan for gaps, or designing detailed test cases for specific requirements — which fits?" If clear from context, proceed with the matching interpretation.

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Depth Scaling

Default: 2x. Parse depth from $ARGUMENTS if specified (e.g., "/testplan 4x [input]").

Depth	Min Test Cases	Min Test Levels	Min Test Types	Min Env Requirements	Min Risk Items
1x	10	3	3	2	3
2x	25	4	5	4	6
4x	50	5	7	6	10
8x	100	5	9	8	15
16x	200	5	12	12	25

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The Process

Step 1: Define Test Objectives and Scope

Establish what testing must accomplish and its boundaries:

TEST PLAN: [System Name]
VERSION: [version]
DATE: [date]

TEST OBJECTIVES:
1. Verify that [system] meets all specified requirements
2. Validate that [system] satisfies stakeholder needs and intended use
3. Identify defects before [milestone/release]
4. Demonstrate compliance with [standards/regulations]

SCOPE:
  IN SCOPE:
  - [features/subsystems to test]
  - [interfaces to verify]
  - [quality attributes to measure]

  OUT OF SCOPE:
  - [features not tested in this plan]
  - [third-party components accepted as-is]
  - [deferred testing areas]

  ASSUMPTIONS:
  - [what must be true for testing to proceed]
  - [availability of resources, environments, data]

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Step 2: Identify Test Levels

Define the test levels and what each verifies:

Level	Purpose	Scope	Responsible	Entry Criteria	Exit Criteria
Unit Test	Verify individual components work correctly in isolation	Single function, class, or module	Developer	Code complete, code review passed	100% of unit tests pass, coverage target met
Integration Test	Verify interfaces between components work correctly	Component-to-component interactions	Dev/Test team	Unit tests pass, interface specs available	All interface tests pass, no critical defects
System Test	Verify the complete system meets requirements	End-to-end system behavior	Test team	Integration tests pass, system deployed to test env	All requirements verified, defect targets met
Acceptance Test	Validate the system meets stakeholder needs	User workflows, operational scenarios	User/customer	System tests pass, acceptance criteria defined	Customer sign-off, acceptance criteria met
Regression Test	Verify changes haven't broken existing functionality	Previously working features	Test team	Code change committed	All regression tests pass

TEST LEVELS FOR [SYSTEM]:

| Level | Applies? | Justification | Estimated Effort |
|-------|----------|---------------|-----------------|
| Unit | YES/NO | [why or why not] | [hours/days] |
| Integration | YES/NO | [why or why not] | [hours/days] |
| System | YES/NO | [why or why not] | [hours/days] |
| Acceptance | YES/NO | [why or why not] | [hours/days] |
| Regression | YES/NO | [why or why not] | [hours/days] |

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Step 3: Define Test Types Needed

For each applicable test level, determine which test types apply:

Test Type	What It Verifies	Typical Methods	Priority
Functional	Correct behavior per requirements	Black-box, equivalence partitioning, boundary value	MUST
Performance	Response time, throughput, resource usage	Load testing, stress testing, benchmarking	HIGH
Security	Resistance to attacks, data protection	Penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, auth testing	HIGH
Usability	Ease of use, learnability, accessibility	User testing, heuristic evaluation, A/B testing	MEDIUM
Reliability	Mean time between failures, recovery	Endurance testing, failover testing, chaos testing	HIGH
Compatibility	Works across platforms, browsers, devices	Cross-platform testing, version compatibility	MEDIUM
Regression	No unintended side effects from changes	Automated test suite re-execution	MUST
Installation	Correct deployment and configuration	Install/uninstall, upgrade, migration testing	MEDIUM
Compliance	Meets regulatory and standards requirements	Audit, certification testing	VARIES
Recovery	Graceful handling of failures	Crash recovery, backup/restore, data integrity	HIGH
Scalability	Handles growth in users, data, transactions	Volume testing, capacity testing	MEDIUM
Integration	External system interfaces work correctly	API testing, protocol testing, contract testing	HIGH

TEST TYPE MATRIX:

| Test Type | Unit | Integration | System | Acceptance | Tool/Method |
|-----------|------|-------------|--------|------------|-------------|
| Functional | [Y/N] | [Y/N] | [Y/N] | [Y/N] | [tool] |
| Performance | [Y/N] | [Y/N] | [Y/N] | [Y/N] | [tool] |
| Security | [Y/N] | [Y/N] | [Y/N] | [Y/N] | [tool] |
| Usability | [Y/N] | [Y/N] | [Y/N] | [Y/N] | [tool] |
| Reliability | [Y/N] | [Y/N] | [Y/N] | [Y/N] | [tool] |
...

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Step 4: Create Test Case Specifications

For each requirement or feature, define specific test cases:

TEST CASE SPECIFICATION:

| TC-ID | Requirement | Test Level | Test Type | Description | Preconditions | Steps | Expected Result | Priority | Status |
|-------|-------------|-----------|-----------|-------------|---------------|-------|-----------------|----------|--------|
| TC-001 | [REQ-ID] | [level] | [type] | [what this tests] | [setup needed] | 1. [step] 2. [step] | [expected outcome] | HIGH/MED/LOW | Not Run |
| TC-002 | [REQ-ID] | [level] | [type] | [what this tests] | [setup needed] | 1. [step] 2. [step] | [expected outcome] | HIGH/MED/LOW | Not Run |
...

For each test case, apply boundary and edge case thinking:

Technique	Application
Equivalence Partitioning	Divide inputs into classes; test one from each
Boundary Value Analysis	Test at, just below, just above boundaries
Error Guessing	Test common failure modes based on experience
Decision Table	Test all combinations of conditions and actions
State Transition	Test valid and invalid state changes
Negative Testing	Test with invalid, missing, or unexpected inputs

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Step 5: Define Test Environment and Data Requirements

TEST ENVIRONMENTS:

| Env Name | Purpose | Configuration | Availability | Owner |
|----------|---------|---------------|--------------|-------|
| DEV | Unit & developer testing | [hardware, OS, SW stack] | Always | Dev team |
| TEST | Integration & system testing | [hardware, OS, SW stack] | [schedule] | Test team |
| STAGING | Pre-production validation | [hardware, OS, SW stack — mirrors production] | [schedule] | Ops team |
| UAT | User acceptance testing | [hardware, OS, SW stack] | [schedule] | Business |

TEST DATA REQUIREMENTS:

| Data Set | Purpose | Source | Volume | Sensitivity | Refresh Frequency |
|----------|---------|--------|--------|-------------|-------------------|
| [name] | [what tests use it] | [synthetic/masked production/live] | [size] | [PII? classified?] | [how often refreshed] |
...

TOOLS AND INFRASTRUCTURE:

| Category | Tool | Purpose | License | Owner |
|----------|------|---------|---------|-------|
| Test Management | [tool] | Test case tracking, execution reporting | [type] | [who] |
| Automation | [tool] | Automated test execution | [type] | [who] |
| Performance | [tool] | Load/stress testing | [type] | [who] |
| Defect Tracking | [tool] | Bug reporting and tracking | [type] | [who] |
| CI/CD | [tool] | Continuous integration testing | [type] | [who] |

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Step 6: Define Entry and Exit Criteria

ENTRY CRITERIA (must be met before testing begins):

| Criterion | Verification Method | Required For |
|-----------|-------------------|--------------|
| Requirements reviewed and approved | Review sign-off | All levels |
| Test plan reviewed and approved | Review sign-off | All levels |
| Test environment set up and verified | Env smoke test | All levels |
| Test data prepared and loaded | Data validation | System, Acceptance |
| Code complete and build successful | CI/CD green | All levels |
| Unit tests passing at [X]% | Test report | Integration+ |
| Previous level exit criteria met | Test report | Each subsequent level |

EXIT CRITERIA (must be met before testing is considered complete):

| Criterion | Target | Measurement |
|-----------|--------|-------------|
| Test case execution | 100% of planned tests executed | Test management tool |
| Pass rate | >= [X]% of test cases pass | Test management tool |
| Critical defects | 0 open critical/blocker defects | Defect tracker |
| Major defects | <= [N] open major defects | Defect tracker |
| Requirements coverage | 100% of requirements have at least one test | Traceability matrix |
| Performance targets | All performance requirements met | Performance test results |
| Security scan | No high/critical vulnerabilities | Security scan report |

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Step 7: Plan Test Schedule and Resources

TEST SCHEDULE:

| Phase | Start Date | End Date | Duration | Dependencies | Milestone |
|-------|-----------|----------|----------|--------------|-----------|
| Test Planning | [date] | [date] | [N days] | Requirements complete | Test Plan Approved |
| Test Design | [date] | [date] | [N days] | Test Plan Approved | Test Cases Ready |
| Env Setup | [date] | [date] | [N days] | Infrastructure available | Env Validated |
| Unit Testing | [date] | [date] | [N days] | Code complete | Unit Test Report |
| Integration Testing | [date] | [date] | [N days] | Unit tests pass | Integration Test Report |
| System Testing | [date] | [date] | [N days] | Integration tests pass | System Test Report |
| Acceptance Testing | [date] | [date] | [N days] | System tests pass | Acceptance Sign-off |
| Regression Testing | [ongoing] | [ongoing] | [per cycle] | Code changes | Regression Report |

RESOURCE ALLOCATION:

| Role | Person/Team | Allocation | Phase |
|------|------------|------------|-------|
| Test Lead | [name] | [%] | All phases |
| Test Designer | [name] | [%] | Design, Execution |
| Test Executor | [name] | [%] | Execution |
| Automation Engineer | [name] | [%] | Design, Execution |
| Performance Tester | [name] | [%] | System Testing |
| Security Tester | [name] | [%] | System Testing |
| Environment Admin | [name] | [%] | Setup, Maintenance |

RISK ASSESSMENT:

| Risk | Likelihood | Impact | Mitigation |
|------|-----------|--------|------------|
| Test environment not ready on time | [H/M/L] | [H/M/L] | [action] |
| Insufficient test data | [H/M/L] | [H/M/L] | [action] |
| Requirements changes during testing | [H/M/L] | [H/M/L] | [action] |
| Resource unavailability | [H/M/L] | [H/M/L] | [action] |
| Defect backlog overwhelms schedule | [H/M/L] | [H/M/L] | [action] |
| Third-party dependency delays | [H/M/L] | [H/M/L] | [action] |

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Output Format

## TEST PLAN: [System Name]

### 1. Objectives and Scope
[Objectives, in/out scope, assumptions]

### 2. Test Levels
[Table of applicable test levels with entry/exit criteria]

### 3. Test Types
[Matrix of test types vs test levels]

### 4. Test Cases
[Table of test case specifications with traceability to requirements]

### 5. Test Environment and Data
[Environment specs, data requirements, tools]

### 6. Entry/Exit Criteria
[Tables of entry and exit criteria per level]

### 7. Schedule and Resources
[Timeline, resource allocation, risk assessment]

### 8. Defect Management
[Severity definitions, workflow, escalation]

### 9. Reporting
[What reports, frequency, audience]

### Summary
Total Test Cases: [N]
Test Levels: [N]
Test Types: [N]
Estimated Duration: [N days/weeks]
Key Risks: [top 3]

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Quality Checklist

Before completing:

• All requirements have at least one test case (coverage is complete)
• All test levels identified and justified
• All relevant test types included
• Entry and exit criteria are specific and measurable
• Test environments and data defined
• Schedule is realistic with dependencies identified
• Risks identified with mitigations
• Negative/edge case tests included (not just happy path)
• Test case priorities assigned
• Resource needs identified

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Next Steps

After test planning:

1. Use /requirements to verify requirements are testable before designing test cases
2. Use /tracematrix to build traceability from requirements to test cases
3. Use /tpm to define technical performance measures that testing must verify
4. Use /fla to anticipate test execution failures and plan contingencies
5. Use /de to map dependencies between test activities