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System-Level Test Strategy template

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The strategy should be a living document, regularly reviewed and updated as necessary to ensure it remains effective and relevant.

Creating a System-Level Test Strategy is a critical task for ensuring that test engineering teams across the project have a consistent approach to testing that enhances transparency, efficiency, and effectiveness.

This document should serve as a guide for planning, prioritising, executing testing tasks, reporting results, and integrating testing outcomes into the broader project lifecycle.

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This template provides a comprehensive framework for creating a System Level Test Strategy. Each section should be detailed and adapted to suit the specific needs of the team/Tribe.

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For every significant release, major functionality, or substantial product increment, a separate System Level Test Strategy Document is required to ensure targeted and effective testing practices.

Introduction​

  • Purpose: Briefly describe the purpose of the Quality Strategy document.

  • Scope/Out-of-Scope: Define the scope of the system level test strategy, outlining which projects or functionalities it covers, what is in the scope and out-of-scope for this validation phase.

  • References: Include any reference documents, such as product requirements (user stories, personas, acceptance criteria), project plans, requirement specifications, design documents, etc.

Product/Feature Requirements​

This section captures (or references) the peer-reviewed product or feature requirements, along with the desired user experience (UX), user personas and user stories, all from the perspective of the end user.

Test Approach​

Outline and explain the e2e tests types andtechniques to be performed, and the rationale behind these choices, including manual vs. automated testing.

Describe the environment in which system testing will take place, including hardware and software requirements.

List the tools used for test management, issue tracking, automation, etc.

Test Management​

Test Planning​

Describe how tests are planned, including test case design, test data preparation, and test environment setup.

Outline the process for the test plans, test cases, and test results peer-reviewed.

Test Execution​

Detail the process for executing tests, including manual and automated tests, and how results will be recorded.

Continuous Integration (CI)​

Explain how automated tests are integrated into the CI pipeline, allowing developers to get immediate feedback on their changes.

Dependencies​

Identify any dependencies between test activities and other project activities.

Defect Management​

Outline the process for tracking and managing defects found during testing.

Risk Management​

Identify potential risks to the test process and, when possible, outline the strategies to mitigate identified risks.

Results and Evaluation​

Test Progress Monitoring​

Describe how progress will be monitored and reported, including test completion metrics.

Test Results Visibility​

Describe how the results will be reported and who the stakeholders are.

Test Deliverables​

Outline all the system-level test deliverables that will be produced (e.g. test plan, test results report, defects and risks report).

Approvals and Sign-off​

List the individuals or groups who need to approve the test strategy.