Guidelines: Test Procedure

Test Procedure

A test procedure is a set of detailed instructions for the set-up, execution, and evaluation of results for a given test case.

A test procedure provides detailed steps that carry out the test as defined by the associated test case(s).

The design of a test procedure needs to address the following items:

For example, if the test procedure is testing the use case or scenario for adding a customer account, the considerations might include:

pre-conditions for the test - Does the account already exist? Where within the software does the test procedure start? At a menu selection for Add Customer? After the menu selection with an Add Customer dialog already open?
Input conditions - The test procedure can usually test that its starting point is correct by checking a menu or a dialog box caption. The procedure then enters input data, such as customer name and address.
Actions to be taken - The procedure activates the "Save" function.
Expected results - The new customer should be saved in the database.
Method for validating expected results - How does the procedure know that the customer was added? In this case, there are many methods, including checking that the new customer appears in a listing of customer accounts, checking for a confirmation message that the customer was added, querying the database directly, and so on.

Rational Unified Process