Test Artifacts!
With this article I am going to share my understanding of test artifacts, covering the below mentioned questions answers:
What do you mean by test artifacts?
Who all are using them?
What is the outcome of using test artifacts?
What are the benefits of using test artifacts?
What are test artifacts?
All the documents that are produced as a part of the software testing, collectively are known as test artifacts. These includes test strategy, test plan, test scenarios, test cases, traceability matrix and test report. Every document that is a by-product of software testing should be termed as test artifacts, these documents help management and individuals (team leads and team players) who perform there task with task assessment.
Who all are using them?
Test plan is generated by product and test manager. Test strategy is a document that define how the actual test execution will happen, that is, the test strategy document answers questions related to, which test methodology is best fit for testing, what are the test requirements, what should be the test environment setup, which sort of testing to be performed and so on. Once the test plan is delivered it includes all the details regarding the timeline, execution period, resource allocation and strategy to be used for all testing team member. A test scenario is a user journey for a describe functionality of the software, usually used by test leads and members. Test Cases are developed by test managers and used by test team members. Traceability matrix is a document using which the overall health of the product can be measured in terms of requirements being delivered from the specifications. Software test reports are used by individuals or team.
Outcome of test artifacts?
A measurement of requirement delivered, that can be measured using different documents while and after the testing is conducted. Entire testing life cycle is dependent on the quality of product or software application delivered and the different documents used during testing help determine the exact outcome of the software.
Benefits of test artifacts?
Traditionally, if not documents are maintained at different levels of development and testing, then you are more prone to delivering a software that will be more likely to have potential defects that does not allow the functioning of the software as per requirement and the presence and essence of test artifacts is to help achieve a software with all the reequipments specified.
