Testsprocedures

Testsprocedures are formal, step-by-step instructions that specify how to execute a test, including the objectives, environment, data, and expected outcomes. They are a component of quality assurance used in software, hardware, and systems testing to ensure consistency, repeatability, and auditable results.

A typical testsprocedure includes the purpose and scope of the test, prerequisites and setup, required test data and environment details, the sequence of steps to perform, the expected results, postconditions or cleanup actions, and acceptance criteria. It may also define roles and responsibilities, how results are logged, and how defects are reported and traced. Clear references to related documents such as requirements, test plans, and other test artifacts are common, enabling traceability from requirements to test execution.

Development and maintenance: testsprocedures are authored by testers or QA engineers, reviewed and approved, and kept under version control. They should be aligned with a broader testing strategy and linked to the corresponding test cases or test scripts. Changes are managed through formal revision and impact analysis to preserve test integrity over time.

Types and execution: testsprocedures can be manual or automated. Manual procedures describe actions a tester performs step by step, while automated procedures map to test scripts that execute actions without human intervention. During execution, evidence such as logs, screenshots, or metrics is collected to support results and enable reporting.

Relation to standards: in many settings, testsprocedures conform to documented standards or guidelines, such as IEEE 829 or ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119, and are integral to regulatory compliance, quality audits, and demonstrated testing coverage.