Whether taking building a website into your own hands or opting to obtain a custom software development company, it is crucial for businesses to release software that has undergone rigorous testing.
However, the process isn’t a linear one. Rather, it should be multi-dimensional and continuous. As digital systems become sophisticated, programs need to go through the software testing life cycle before businesses introduce them to the market.
Get to know the software testing life cycle and each STLC phase below.
Table of Contents
What Is Software Testing Life Cycle?
The software testing life cycle (STLC) is a testing strategy that helps meet software quality standards through systematic testing. It identifies test activities to be carried out and when to accomplish them.
It is designed to understand a system’s state and recommend improvements. The stages involve strategizing, planning, executing, and completing test cycles.
The software testing life cycle ensures that software quality goals are met, involving verification and validation. It is not an isolated activity but instead consists of multiple series carried out methodologically to establish diverse goals.
6 Software Testing Life Cycle Phases
Each stage of the software testing life cycle has entry and exit criteria, as well as activities and other deliverables. Entry criteria involve prerequisites that must be completed before testing begins.
On the other hand, exit criteria define items that must be completed before the testing phase is concluded.
Some of these phases can be performed simultaneously, while others require previous stages to be completed before moving forward.
Phases of software testing life cycle include the following:
- Requirement Phase Testing
- Test Planning
- Test Case Development Phase
- Test Environment Setup
- Test Execution Phase
- Test Cycle Closures
1. Requirement Phase Testing
Requirement phase testing is the first step that allows the quality assurance team to understand the requirements, such as the following.
- Basics such as the product to be tested
- Software requirements
- High-end business needs
- Architectural requirements showcasing the features to be designed and supported
- Detailed system requirements that guide developers
These may include functional and non-functional aspects, which help with testing and validation.
Also known as the requirement analysis phase, it requires the team to study and identify testable requirements. Hence, the stage also includes brainstorming sessions, highlighting problem areas, and prioritizing certain assessments.
In case of doubts, the QA team clarifies with engineers, stakeholders, or the business side. This helps the team understand if anything is missing or needs detailed understanding.
The activities in this phase include:
- Identifying the tests to be performed
- Gathering details about testing details and focus
- Preparing the Requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM)
- Determining the test environment details where testing will be carried out
- Automation feasibility analysis
- Enhancing product quality
- Reducing test cycle time
Entry and Exit Criteria:
- Entry - Functional and non-functional requirement specifications
- Exit - RTM and an automation feasibility report (only if applicable)
2. Test Planning
Test planning is the most efficient phase that defines all testing plans. The team manager calculates the estimated cost and time for the project.
The senior QA manager determines the test plan strategy along with efforts and cost estimations. With the plan created, this phase gathers participants’ data and their testing roles, necessary testing tools, and test environment.
The insights taken from the previous step help create the QA strategy documentation. This analyzes the resources and efforts required for the release. This documentation also helps inform the rest of the teams and departments about the project particulars.
The activities include resource planning, determining roles and responsibilities, tool selection (automation), training requirements, test environment, limitations, schedule, and others.
Other details include the scope, objectives, functional types, non-functional tests, and details of the testing environment. It sets the timelines for the roles, determining deliverables to be provided towards the end of the phase.
Test planning activities include:
- Preparing the test plan document for various types of testing
- Testing tool selection
- Testing effort estimation
- Resource planning
- Determining roles and responsibilities
- Preparing training requirement
Entry and Exit Criteria:
- Entry - QA Strategy Documentation
- Exit - Test plan/strategy document and an effort estimation document.
3. Test Case Development Phase
After the test plan, testers begin writing and creating detailed test cases.
The details of the structured tests are defined in detail, along with the test data. Test cases should be simple, transparent, and adaptable and should cover full requirements in specific documents.
When the test cases are ready, the team lead can review them and update automated test scripts.
Each case defines test inputs, procedures, execution conditions, and anticipated results.
Further, this phase implies manual and automated testing to cover the functionality and features. However, research shows that manual testing is the most time-consuming activity, so firms nowadays rely on automation for accuracy.
To begin, test data is identified, created, and then reviewed and reworked if required. The QA team then starts the development process of the test cases for individual units.
The stage involves the creation, verification, and test case rework after the test plan is finalized. Teams also prepare required data for testing which are then checked by the quality assurance team.
The test case development includes:
- Creating test cases and automation scripts (if required)
- Reviewing test cases and scripts
- Creating test data (if the test environment is available)
Entry and Exit Criteria:
- Entry - Detailed test cases
- Exit - Test data and test scripts/cases
4. Test Environment Setup
The test environment setup phase is when the actual testing occurs. The test plan makes for a precise testing environment by configuring operating systems and virtual machines. This phase deploys tools such as Selenium, Katalon Studio, and other databases.
Testers adjust the environment parameters based on the test case requirement. This concludes the software and hardware conditions under which a product will be tested. Being an independent activity, each deliverable can be performed in parallel with the test case development phase.
This phase doesn’t involve the testing team. Instead, the developer creates the environment for tests such as smoke testing.
The activities include:
- Gauging the required architecture, environment setup, and the software requirement list
- Setting up the test data
- Performing a smoke test on the final product
Entry and Exit Criteria:
- Entry - Configuring operating systems and virtual machines
- Exit - Ready environment with a test data setup and smoke test results
5. Test Execution Phase
This phase is executed by the testers in the environment where the software is configured.
Tests are performed based on test documentation and a fitting configured test environment. The results are then recorded in the Test Management System.
Negatively passed tests are where actual results differ from the expected ones. They are mentioned as errors and are passed on to the development team for script revision and re-checking after corrections.
The testers execute all test cases within the allotted time to identify and report bugs. As developers fix the problem, testers continue to re-test the product so that the problems are not solidified. The testing team begins executing test cases based on the ones prepared before, based on test script execution, test script maintenance, and bug reporting.
In case of bugs, the report is sent to the developing team for correction and retesting.
The activities in this phase include:
- Executing tests as planned
- Documenting test results and noting the failed cases
- Mapping defects to test cases in RTM
- Retesting rectified areas
- Tracking defects to closure
Entry and Exit Criteria:
- Entry - Tests based on test documentation and a suitable configured test environment
- Exit - Completed RTM with the execution status, test cases with updated results, and defect reports
6. Test Cycle Closures
The test cycle closure phase is the completion of the test execution phase. This involves activities such as test completion reporting, collecting test completion matrices, and obtaining test results.
The testing team provides the test closure report which presents the gist of the project and its findings. This includes the time spent, the percentage of defects found in the positive test results, and the number of errors found and fixed.
The comparisons may include met objectives, time taken, total costs, test coverage, or any defects found. On the other hand, the testing department analyzes work, sums up the results, assesses productivity levels, makes suggestions, and improves testing quality.
The testing team submits the relevant details to the team which includes test strategy, test case document, automated test scripts, and test results.
The members may often meet to discuss and analyze testing artifacts, identify strategies for future implementations, and take lessons from current testing cycles. This is the last stage wherein the testing process is analyzed, and bottlenecks are removed for future test cycles.
The activities include:
- Evaluating cycle completion criteria (may include time, test coverage, software, cost, or quality)
- Preparing test metrics
- Preparing test closure reports
- Documenting project learnings
Entry and Exit Criteria:
- Entry - Test closure report
- Exit - Test metrics and test closure reports
Software Testing Life Cycle - Implementation
Certain firms include the software testing life cycle phases before and during development to maximize resources with the following tactics:
- Test-driven development
- Test automation
- Crowd testing
- Shift left testing
- Shift right testing
An active software testing life cycle process creates valid and accurate results, helping organizations make changes swiftly and thereby drawing customers and revenue. The process of software testing also helps discover key insights during the pre-release phase to reach long and short-term objectives.
Since each phase has unique goals and deliverables, this offers validation in the ideation, design, and execution stages. Testing is performed in stages to ensure systematic training and meeting quality standards.
Different teams may get involved in different stages of software development methodologies for the achievement of goals. However, this should be done in a well-documented and strategic way.
The software testing life cycle phases may be repeated multiple times until the software is fit to be released.
The testing process helps with:
- Refining the agile testing process
- Increasing effectiveness and consistency
- Clearly defining goals and expectations
- Defining time constraints
- Ensuring thorough testing of features and approving additional features
- Ensuring project requirements are met
- Analyzing task automation
- Assessing environmental information
Software Testing Life Cycle Expert Insights
We asked agency experts: "How do you conduct software testing for your clients?"
Bhaval Patel, Director of Operations at Space-O
"At Space-O Technologies, we have a comprehensive software testing cycle incorporating JIRA, Selenium, and AWS. Our dedicated QA team conducts functional, security (with ZAP), usability (using Hotjar), performance, and cross-browser tests. Emphasizing thorough testing with tools like JMeter, Calabash, and Ranorex, we strive to deliver top-quality software to our clients around the globe."
Mr. Tam Ho, CEO InApps Technology
"Our approach to software testing is meticulous and tailored to each client's needs. We follow a rigorous Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC) that includes:
- Requirement Analysis: Understanding the application and defining test objectives.
- Test Planning: Crafting a strategic approach and selecting testing tools.
- Test Case Development: Creating detailed test cases and preparing test data.
- Environment Setup: Ensuring the right testing environment is in place.
- Test Execution: Running the tests and documenting the findings.
- Test Cycle Closure: Evaluating the end results and learning for future test cycles.
We believe in delivering actionable insights that can be directly applied to enhance product quality and ensure a seamless user experience."
Karan Rawal, Ace Infoway
"We conduct software testing for our clients by following a rigorous process that emphasizes early and frequent testing, collaboration, and automation. We use a single repository for application code, which makes it easier to track changes and manage the testing process. We automate as many tests as possible to reduce the time it takes to test the software. For significant changes, we schedule manual tests to ensure that the most important areas of the software are tested thoroughly. We also collaborate with developers, designers, and users to ensure that the software meets the needs of all stakeholders."
Jorge Andrés Mora, Partnership Development Manager at CodeBranch
"Our software testing process is tailored based on the specific needs of each of our customers, we can do automated testing or manual testing depending on the nature of the product."
Software Testing Life Cycle – Key Takeaways
When testing software, nothing can be left to chance. While planning is crucial, it doesn’t have to be tedious and time-consuming. The pressure to meet tight deadlines and create excellent software requires systematic testing.
A software testing life cycle helps efficiently organize testing workflow, improve product quality, make quick bug fixes, and streamline an otherwise chaotic process.
Software Testing Life Cycle FAQ
1. Is STLC a part of SDLC?
Yes, Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC) is a part of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).
STLC is dedicated to the testing stage, which guarantees the quality of the final product, while SDLC plays a crucial role in the overall development of software. Developers cannot release the final product without going through the STLC process, an essential stage of the SDLC.
Even after launching the software, developers use STLC as a part of SDLC in the maintenance stage, where they fix bugs or add new features to the product.
2. What Is the difference between STLC and SDLC?
STLC stands for Software Testing Life Cycle, a stage in software development focused on identifying bugs and errors so that the final product meets quality standards and customers' requirements.
SDLC stands for Software Development Life Cycle, a complex process of creating software from scratch. SDLC includes information collecting, analyzing, designing, implementing, testing, deploying and maintaining phases, which all ensure that the final product meets clients' requirements.
In conclusion, SDLC is a more comprehensive process that includes all stages of software development, including testing. In contrast, STLC is a procedure that focuses exclusively on testing the software application.
3. Is Agile an STLC?
Agile includes STLC, but it is a software development method or SDLC. Instead of a bottom-up development approach, Agile emphasizes collaborative decision-making and development over several short cycles or sprints. Developing teams operate in cycles, each lasting for 2 to 4 weeks.
