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STLC - So ware Testing Life Cycle Phases & Entry,

Exit Criteria
What is So ware Testing Life
Cycle (STLC)?
SOFTWARE TESTING LIFE CYCLE(STLC) is a
sequence of specific activities conducted
during the testing process to ensure software
quality goals are met. STLC involves both
verification and validation activities. Contrary
to popular belief, Software Testing is not just a
single/isolate activity, i.e. testing. It consists of
a series of activities carried out methodologically to help certify your software product.
STLC stands for Software Testing Life Cycle.

In this tutorial, you will learn-

Different Phases of the STLC Model

Requirement Analysis
Test Planning
Test Case Development
Test Environment Setup
Test Execution
Test Cycle Closure
STLC Phases along with Entry and Exit Criteria

Di erent Phases of the STLC Model

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 (/images/stories/software-test-life-cycle.jpg)
STLC Diagram

Below are the phases of STLC:

Requirement Analysis
Test Planning
Test case development
Test Environment setup
Test Execution
Test Cycle closure

Each of these stages has a definite Entry and Exit criteria, Activities & Deliverables
associated with it.

What is Entry and Exit Criteria?

Entry Criteria: Entry Criteria gives the prerequisite items that must be completed before
testing can begin.
Exit Criteria: Exit Criteria defines the items that must be completed before testing can be
concluded

You have Entry and Exit Criteria for all levels in the Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC)

In an Ideal world, you will not enter the next stage until the exit criteria for the previous
stage is met. But practically this is not always possible. So for this tutorial, we will focus on
activities and deliverables for the different stages in STLC life cycle. Let's look into them in
detail.

Software Testing Life Cycle (STLC) : Software Testing Tutor…

Tutor…

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Requirement Analysis
During this phase, test team studies the requirements from a testing point of view to identify
the testable requirements.

The QA team may interact with various stakeholders (Client, Business Analyst, Technical
Leads, System Architects etc) to understand the requirements in detail.

Requirements could be either Functional (defining what the software must do) or Non
Functional (defining system performance /security availability )

Automation feasibility for the given testing project is also done in this stage.

Activities

Identify types of tests to be performed. 

Gather details about testing priorities and focus.
Prepare Requirement Traceability Matrix (RTM) (/traceability-matrix.html).
Identify test environment details where testing is supposed to be carried out. 
Automation feasibility analysis (if required).

Deliverables

RTM
Automation feasibility report. (if applicable)

Test Planning
Typically, in this stage, a Senior QA manager will determine effort and cost estimates for the
project and would prepare and finalize the Test Plan. In this phase, Test Strategy is also
determined.

/
Activities

Preparation of test plan/strategy document for various types of testing

Test tool selection
Test effort estimation
Resource planning and determining roles and responsibilities.
Training requirement

Deliverables

Test plan (/what-everybody-ought-to-know-about-test-planing.html) /strategy

document.
Effort estimation (/an-expert-view-on-test-estimation.html) document.

Test Case Development

This phase involves the creation, verification and rework of test cases & test scripts. Test
data (/software-testing-test-data.html), is identified/created and is reviewed and then
reworked as well.

Activities

Create test cases, automation scripts (if applicable)

Review and baseline test cases and scripts
Create test data (If Test Environment is available)

Deliverables

Test cases/scripts
Test data

Test Environment Setup

Test environment decides the software and hardware conditions under which a work
product is tested. Test environment set-up is one of the critical aspects of testing process
and can be done in parallel with Test Case Development Stage. Test team may not be
involved in this activity if the customer/development team provides the test environment in
which case the test team is required to do a readiness check (smoke testing) of the given
environment.

/
Activities

Understand the required architecture, environment set-up and prepare hardware and
software requirement list for the Test Environment.
Setup test Environment and test data
Perform smoke test on the build

Deliverables

Environment ready with test data set up

Smoke Test Results.

Test Execution
During this phase, the testers will carry out the testing based on the test plans and the test
cases prepared. Bugs will be reported back to the development team for correction and
retesting will be performed.

Activities

Execute tests as per plan

Document test results, and log defects for failed cases
Map defects to test cases in RTM
Retest the Defect (/defect-management-process.html)fixes
Track the defects to closure

Deliverables

Completed RTM with the execution status

Test cases updated with results
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 Defect reports

Test Cycle Closure

Testing team will meet, discuss and analyze testing artifacts to identify strategies that have
to be implemented in the future, taking lessons from the current test cycle. The idea is to
remove the process bottlenecks for future test cycles and share best practices for any
similar projects in the future.

Activities

Evaluate cycle completion criteria based on Time, Test coverage, Cost,Software, Critical
Business Objectives, Quality
Prepare test metrics based on the above parameters.
Document the learning out of the project
Prepare Test closure report
Qualitative and quantitative reporting of quality of the work product to the customer.
Test result analysis to find out the defect distribution by type and severity.

Deliverables

Test Closure report

Test metrics

STLC Phases along with Entry and Exit Criteria

STLC Stage Entry Criteria Activity Exit Criteria Deliverables

Requirement Requirements Analyse business Signed off RTM

Analysis Document functionality to RTM Automation
available (both know the business Test feasibility
functional and modules and automation report (if
non functional) module specific feasibility applicable)
Acceptance functionalities. report signed
criteria defined. Identify all off by the
Application transactions in the client
architectural modules.
document Identify all the
available. user profiles.
Gather user
interface/ /
STLC Stage Entry Criteria Activity Exit Criteria Deliverables
authentication,
geographic spread
requirements.
Identify types of
tests to be
performed.
Gather details
about testing
priorities and
focus.
Prepare
Requirement
Traceability Matrix
(/traceability-
matrix.html)(RTM).
Identify test
environment
details where
testing is
supposed to be
carried out.
Automation
feasibility analysis
(if required).

/
STLC Stage Entry Criteria Activity Exit Criteria Deliverables

Test Requirements Analyze various Approved Test

Planning Documents testing test plan/strateg
Requirement approaches plan/strategy document.
Traceability available document. Effort
matrix. Finalize on the Effort estimation
Test best-suited estimation document.
automation approach document
feasibility Preparation of test signed off.
document. plan/strategy
document for
various types of
testing
Test tool selection
Test effort
estimation
Resource planning
and determining
roles and
responsibilities.

Test case Requirements Create test cases, Reviewed Test

development Documents test design, and signed cases/script
RTM and test automation scripts test Test data
plan (where applicable) Cases/scripts
Automation Review and Reviewed
analysis report baseline test cases and signed
and scripts test data
Create test data

/
STLC Stage Entry Criteria Activity Exit Criteria Deliverables

Test System Design Understand the Environment Environmen

Environment and required setup is ready with
setup architecture architecture, working as test data set
documents are environment set- per the plan up
available up and checklist Smoke Test
Environment Prepare hardware Test data Results.
set-up plan is and software setup is
available development complete
requirement list Smoke test is
Finalize successful
connectivity
requirements
Prepare
environment
setup checklist
Setup test
Environment and
test data
Perform smoke
test on the build
Accept/reject the
build depending
on smoke test
result

/
STLC Stage Entry Criteria Activity Exit Criteria Deliverables

Test Baselined RTM, Execute tests as All tests Completed

Execution Test Plan per plan planned are RTM with
(/what- Document test executed execution
everybody- results, and log Defects status
ought-to-know- defects for failed logged and Test cases
about-test- cases tracked to updated wit
planing.html), Update test closure results
Test plans/test cases, if Defect
case/scripts are necessary reports
available Map defects to test
Test cases in RTM
environment is Retest the defect
ready fixes
Test data set up Regression Testing
is done (/regression-
Unit/Integration testing.html) of
test report for application
the build to be Track the defects
tested is to closure
available

/
 STLC Stage Entry Criteria Activity Exit Criteria Deliverables

Test Cycle Testing has Evaluate cycle Test Closure Test Closure
closure been completed completion report signed off report
Test results are criteria based on - by client Test metrics
available Time, Test
Defect logs are coverage (/test-
available coverage-in-
software-
testing.html),
Cost, Software
Quality, Critical
Business
Objectives
Prepare test
metrics based on
the above
parameters.
Document the
learning out of the
project
Prepare Test
closure report
Qualitative and
quantitative
reporting of
quality of the work
product to the
customer.
Test result analysis
to find out the
defect distribution
by type and
severity

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