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The right time for test completion

Test completion is the final activity in the testing process and involves collating all the data collected by the completed test activities in order to evaluate the test experience and consolidate the testware and its associated materials. The correct moment for test completion varies according to the development model you use. It can be:

 When the system goes live

 The end (or discontinuation) of the test project

 The completion of an agile project iteration (for example, as part of a retrospective or a review meeting)

 The completion of testing activities for a specific test level

 The completion of test activities for a maintenance release

At completion time, you also need to make sure that all planned activities have been completed and that the defect reports are complete. Open or unresolved failures (i.e., unresolved deviations from an existing requirement) remain open and are carried over to the next iteration or release. In agile environments, such unresolved cases are classed as new product backlog items for inclusion in the next iteration.

Change requests and modified requirements that stem from the evaluation of test results are handled similarly.

Test summary report

The test summary report (see section 6.3.4) aggregates all your testing activities and results, and includes an overall evaluation of the tests you have performed compared with your predefined exit criteria. The summary report is distributed to all stakeholders.

Archiving testware

Software systems are generally utilized over a long period of time, during which failures will turn up that weren’t discovered during testing. During its lifetime, a system will also be subject to change requests from its users (or customers). Both of these situations mean that the system has to be reprogrammed and the modified code has to be tested anew. A large portion of the testing effort involved in this kind of maintenance can be avoided if the testware you originally used (test cases, logs, infrastructure, tools, and so on) are still available and can be handed over to the maintenance department. This means that the existing testware only have to be adapted rather than set up from scratch when it comes to performing system maintenance. Testware can also be profitably adapted for use in similar projects. For some industries, the law requires proof of testing, and this can only be provided if all the testware are properly archived.

Our Tip Create an image or use a Container

 Conserving testware after testing can be extremely laborious, so testers often capture an image of the test environment or use the Docker freeware to create a so-called Container—an easily transportable and reusable file that contains all the related resources and that can be installed and run as an independent test environment.

Learning from experience

The experience you gather when testing can be analyzed and used in future projects. Deviations between your plans and the actual activities you perform are just as interesting as looking for their causes. You should use your findings to unleash your potential for improvement and make changes to the activities you undertake for future iterations, releases, and projects. These kinds of changes help the overall test process to mature.