| Many teams that use an Agile development methodology think they may not need a test plan. But, especially when transitioning to Agile, they wonder what testers are supposed to do! An Agile test plan is a document that outlines the testing strategy and approach for a project that is using Agile development methodologies. Just like critical Agile principles, it should be flexible and adaptable to changes, as Agile development emphasizes iterative, incremental delivery of working software. |  |
What is Agile in software testing?
In software testing, Agile refers to the use of Agile methodologies during the testing phase of software development. An approach to project management, Agile emphasizes flexibility, rapid iteration, and collaboration between cross-functional teams. In Agile software testing, testing is integrated into the development process and occurs throughout the project rather than being a separate phase at the end as in the waterfall methodology. This allows for defect prevention and earlier detection of defects and more frequent feedback and adjustments to the software. Agile testing also places a strong emphasis on automation testing earlier in the lifecycle and on testing the software from the perspective of the end user.
Why do you need an Agile test plan?
Teams need a test plan to document and thus understand their priorities test coverage, method, and responsibility. If you don’t document it, it will get forgotten. You write down notes to yourself to remember things right? Taking it a step further than sticky notes to remind yourself of ‘to-dos’, we like to think of a test plan as Principles (taken from Ray Dalio where one of the key principles is to write down your principles.) that you should apply to testing decisions and actions that you will take on a daily basis. In ad