Nobody remembers what was tested
A technician says, "I tested the Wi-Fi sign-in. It was fine." A week later it fails for a new student.
Was the long password tested? The space in a name? Nobody wrote it down, so nobody knows.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can write a plan of tests and record what really happened.
Key words
| Word | What it means |
|---|---|
| Test plan | a table that lists every test before you run it |
| Requirement | something the system must do |
| Purpose | the reason for a test |
| Test data | the values you feed into a test |
| Expected result | what should happen |
| Actual result | what really happened |
| Pass | the actual result matches the expected result |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Starter
Have a go
Starter
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Five steps of a test plan
A plan has five steps, in this order.
- Identify the tests to carry out.
- Describe the purpose of each test.
- Choose the test data to use.
- Describe the expected result.
- Record the actual result after you run it.
You write steps 1 to 4 before you run anything.
Worked example: a sign-in plan
| Test | Purpose | Test data | Expected result | Actual result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | A normal password works | `Sunny2026` | Signed in | Signed in |
| T2 | Too short is refused | `abc` | Refused with a message | Signed in |
| T3 | Longest allowed works | 20 letters | Signed in | Signed in |
| T4 | Empty is refused | nothing | Refused with a message | Refused with a message |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Read the plan
Note
The last two columns are the point. Where they match, the test passes. Where they differ, you have found a fault. Test T2 differs: a password that is too short was accepted.
Check
Have a go
Check
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.