5 Key Points for Creating a Foolproof Test Strategy

In software testing, before anything else can be started, an important objective has to be defined. And that is no more or less than a good test strategy - a roadmap that defines the scope of the project, test techniques, main objectives of testing efforts, required resources, and deliverables. 

In this blog post, we will explore 5 key points that will help you create foolproof test strategies and that you can use as a guide and reference point throughout the project. 

Defining clear objectives and scope

Defining project objectives and project scope is like creating a skeleton of the entire test strategy framework - it is the basis of what needs to be tested, and what is the expected test coverage. Project objectives ideally should follow the SMART principle - meaning, they should be:

• Specific: The goals must clearly define what needs to be achieved, for example, instead of “App’s performance should be improved,” a more specific objective would be “Reduce the upload time for images to 2 seconds maximum 98% of the time.”
• Measurable: The goals should be measurable so that they can be objectively evaluated during testing and after testing activities have been finished.
• Achievable: It is always good to have a realistic outlook, and it is not an exception when planning test objectives. For example, “For every new feature and test cases, and automation scripts should be created within 1 day,” might not always be a viable goal if the team consists of 1-2 QA engineers; therefore, test objectives should take into consideration the team's capacity and available resources. It is a good idea to consult with the QA team and project manager to see what is actually doable.
• Relevant: Since each project comes with its own business goals and priorities, the test objectives should align with and reflect them, instead of being generic or reused from previous projects.
• Time-bound: Time-bound objectives help the QA team to plan and execute their work accordingly and stay focused on the deliverables, for example, “New feature’s test cases and automated scripts should be implemented in the current sprint, provided there are at least 3 days before its end, otherwise it should be finished within 2-3 days of the start of the new sprint.” These types of objectives set clear expectations for the QA team and all stakeholders and avoid misunderstandings.

Establishing a testing approach

A solid and defined testing approach lays out how the testing activities will be performed throughout the project. It defines what types of testing will be performed, for example, manual or automation or both, also diving into more specific types - whether performance, security, or accessibility testing will be included. Since throughout the years quality assurance has evolved from “just finding bugs” to specific types and specialized testing techniques, it is important to choose the right test type for each project, and most importantly, for business expectations. 

For example, if we are creating a test strategy for a fintech or banking app, the main focus would be on security, performance testing, and compliance with local laws. On the other hand, a healthcare app’s focus should be more on usability and accessibility. 

Choosing the right testing approach is also important when assembling the QA team, since some testing types require specific knowledge, for example, accessibility testing - where WCAG standards need to be followed, or test automation - where previous specific knowledge about automated test frameworks is needed.

A well-planned testing approach helps to organize and plan the QA team’s work, reduces misunderstandings when it comes to testing techniques used, and ensures that everyone, including stakeholders and product owners, is on the same page.

Performing a thorough risk assessment

Everything in life comes with a risk—smaller or bigger—but in development, the risks can directly affect the end users, the product’s functionality and availability, meaning that business reputation can be at stake. Therefore, assessing project risks to be one step ahead is essential at the start of the project. It means that based on the identified project risks, the QA team can prioritize their tasks, focus on critical areas, and, in general, be better prepared to mitigate the negative impact that can affect end users. 

But how to do it in practice?

In practice, it starts with a QA team reviewing the product requirements, like identifying the most critical functionality. For example, this can refer to the most used features, features with complex structure (which also impacts testing efforts), or features that handle sensitive data. It is also a good idea to look at the past incidents, user reports, and similar products, since a lot of times, the same issues can still be relevant in the future. 

The most commonly used method is a risk matrix, which is quite a simple yet effective diagram. Take a look at the table below:

It shows how likely a risk is to happen and how much it could affect the product. 

To implement a risk matrix, a list of the product issues and vulnerabilities should be created and evaluated against the risk matrix.

• Likelihood: What is the probability of the issue happening
• Impact: In case of the issue happening, what would be the overall impact on the product functionality

To quantify the risk, the numbers assigned to likelihood and impact are multiplied, giving a risk score for each issue. This score shows whether the risk is low, medium, high, or very high. In our case, the scoring would be as follows:

• 1-2 -> Low risk
• 3-6 -> Medium risk
• 7-9 -> High risk
• 10 and higher -> Very high risk

Once all the risks are scored and grouped, the QA team can start planning their testing accordingly. The highest-risk items get tackled first so that the most critical issues are handled before release and receive the closest attention. Medium-risk areas can be tested thoroughly as time and resources allow, while low-risk parts might be left after the high-impact features are fully tested.

Choosing the right tools and test automation scope

The goal when choosing the right tools for a project is not looking at trends, but finding solutions that are useful and can be successfully integrated into the project. The right tools should simplify testing, making it smoother, faster, and more efficient, rather than adding unnecessary complexity. When choosing what to use, it’s worth thinking about the tech stack and skills the QA team already has. 

For example, web-platform-based projects might benefit from modern automation frameworks that can be integrated with CI/CD pipelines to ensure that bugs are caught early, before reaching production. It is also important to think ahead: projects often expand and change, and what is not needed right now might be important to have later on. Choosing scalable and flexible tools makes it easier for the QA team to adapt to new project requirements and changes, without having to switch tools and start from scratch in the middle of the project. 

Once the right tools have been chosen, the next step is to define automation scope, and although a very detailed plan is not a part of the test strategy, but rather a test plan, it is still important to define which areas would be more suitable for test automation. 

Defining the automation scope helps the QA team focus on the areas where automation would help to save time and resources if tested manually. Typically, this includes repetitive tests like full regression and smoke tests, tests that need to be run often, and tests that check the main functionality. On the other hand, areas that will have frequent changes—be it UI, functional, or other changes—might be left for manual testing. 

Defining metrics and reporting

When starting a project, the team must have a full understanding of the metrics they need to track. In software testing projects, QA metrics typically include:

• Test coverage
• Defect density (in which areas most issues lie) 
• Test pass/fail rates (including automated tests)
• Bug priorities 

Once the metrics are set, it is also important to decide on how to track and share them. For manual testing efforts, this could be through dashboards (for example, for test cases use XRay, QTest), using automated reports, or perhaps just quick updates through communication channels or meetings. 

As for test automation, some tools can make tracking and reporting even easier. Automated reporting tools like Allure Report or ExtentReports collect test results automatically and generate visual reports. This helps the QA team quickly see which tests passed or failed and see the recurring issues. The main goal is that everyone is on the same page about the progress and how the project is going in general.

Keeping an eye on these metrics helps the QA team notice the problem areas and bugs that keep coming up or features that often fail. The key is to choose tools that fit well with the team. In the end, clear metrics and simple reporting make sure that everyone stays aligned on the project progress and, most importantly, the quality of the product.

Conclusion

A good test strategy isn’t just a checklist but more like a roadmap that helps the QA team and everyone involved in the project to know where to go and how to get there. The five key points that have been covered, like setting clear objectives and scope, choosing a testing approach, assessing risks, choosing the right tools and automation scope, and defining metrics and reporting—all work together to make testing smarter and more effective. 

It also brings the team together—developers, QA engineers,  product owners, and stakeholders—so there’s a shared understanding of the product’s quality and progress. Risks are managed before they can become major problems, and automation is used where it makes the most sense, saving time and effort. At the end of the day, a well-designed test strategy gives the team confidence. It helps ensure the product is reliable, minimizes unexpected issues, and makes the entire testing process more structured, which is a significant advantage for any project.