Software Testing Life Cycle

Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC) is a series of steps that are followed in a specific sequence to ensure that the software is tested thoroughly and meets the requirements of the end-users. The STLC process is divided into different phases, each phase has its own set of activities and deliverables.

Software Testing Life Cycle Phases

There are 7 phases in the Software Testing Life Cycle:

1. Requirement Analysis

In the requirement analysis phase, the testing team:

• Reviews and analyzes business requirements
• Identifies testable requirements
• Creates Requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM)
• Estimates testing effort and resources needed

2. Test Planning

During test planning phase, the team:

• Prepares comprehensive test strategy
• Determines testing scope and objectives
• Creates test schedule and timeline
• Allocates resources and responsibilities

3. Test Design

Test design phase involves:

• Creating detailed test cases
• Preparing test data
• Setting up test environment
• Developing test scripts (if needed)

4. Test Execution

During test execution, testers:

• Run the test cases as per plan
• Document test results
• Compare actual vs expected results
• Log defects if found

5. Defect Reporting

In defect reporting phase:

• Report bugs with detailed steps
• Assign severity and priority
• Track defect lifecycle
• Communicate with development team

6. Defect Retesting

During retesting phase:

• Verify fixed defects
• Perform regression testing
• Update defect status
• Ensure quality of fixes

7. Test Closure

Final phase includes:

• Evaluate test completion criteria
• Prepare test closure report
• Document lessons learned
• Archive test artifacts

Software Testing Life Cycle Diagram

Here is a visual representation of the Software Testing Life Cycle phases: