The Testing Process

Create the Traceability Matrix

If you have Business Requirements documents or Functional Specification documents for your project, great! You can easily create a Traceability Matrix listing the specific test cases. This is a simple matrix that defines all the test cases, with reference back to the document which defined the requirement. This matrix can also be used as a test log, if you add a column for "Date Tested" and another for "Pass/Fail", but this is optional.

Document	Section	Requirement	Test Case	Date Tested	Pass Fail
Bus Reqts	2.6.1	Only valid Australian postal codes can be entered.	126
Bus Reqts	2.6.2	Mobile phone numbers can only be entered in the format 9999-999-999.	127
Bus Reqts	2.6.2	Only contract types 37, 39B, and 43-6 can be entered on screen 27.	128
Func Spec	13.1	When an invalid contract type is entered, an explanatory error message is displayed.	129

If you don't have any requirements or specifications documents, this doesn't bode well, as it indicates sloppy project management. You will have to make a list of test cases without the benefit of the business telling you what it wants. As your matrix cannot refer back to any specifications, it is simply called a "Test Matrix". Again, you may choose to include "Date Tested" and "Pass/Fail" columns so you can use the Test Matrix as a test log.

Test Case	Requirement	Date Tested	Pass Fail
126	Only valid Australian postal codes can be entered.
127	Mobile phone numbers can only be entered in the format 9999-999-999.
128	Only contract types 37, 39B, and 43-6 can be entered on screen 27.
129	When an invalid contract type is entered, an explanatory error message is displayed.