What is the STLC?
A process that follows/ works hand in hand with the SDLC(Software Development Life Cycle) and is used to test software and ensure that quality standards are met. During product development, phases of the STLC may be repeated several times before a product is declared ready for release.
Different Phases of the STLC
1. Requirement Analysis
This is the first stage of the STLC in which the Testers / Quality Assurance team gains an understanding of the requirements through testing. They identify testable needs and may interact with clients and system architects(the software designers) or stakeholders involved to gain a thorough understanding of the requirements. This phase identifies the types of testing that will be performed (such as functional, UI, usability, performance, and security).
2. Test Planning
During this phase, a Test Plan is developed, including the testing strategy and objectives. It also specifies the scope of testing, test estimation (cost, resources, and time), and each individual’s roles and duties on the testing team. This phase also identifies the test tools that will be used for testing (such as JIRA, Bugzilla, Selenium, and QTP).
3. Test Case Designing & Development
The QA team begins writing test cases based on the criteria defined during the first phase. They also prepare test data for testing. If automation testing is part of the scope, scripts for test automation are written during this phase.
4. Test Environment Setup
This is a critical step in which a test environment is created that is similar to the production environment. It is prepared separately from the development team and is ready for test execution. This phase also includes smoke testing to confirm the test environment is ready from the next phase.
5. Test Execution
During this phase, the test cases are run in the prepared test environment.
6. Test Reporting
If a test case executed in the previous phase produces a flaw, it is documented and monitored according to its severity and priority. Retesting is performed when the faults have been repaired.
7. Test Closure
This is the final phase in which the QA team creates a test closure report summarizing the testing efforts, test results, retesting and closed bugs. The cycle completion criteria are evaluated by the testing team in terms of test coverage, quality, cost, time, critical business objectives, and software.
Conclusion
The Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC)is a fundamental process in software development that ensures the delivery of a high-quality product. While the STLC process’s steps of Requirement Analysis, Test Planning, Test Case Development, Test Environment Setup, Test Execution, and Test Closure are typically comparable, their execution varies greatly across different software development models.