There is a general human tendency to get on with the next thing especially under pressure. This is true for the testers who are always short of time. However, if resources are to be utilized intelligently and efficiently during the earlier testing phases and later phases, these are repaid many times over, The time spent on planning the testing activities early is never wasted and usually the total time cycle is significantly shorter.

According to the test process as discussed in STLC, testing also needs planning as in SDLC. Since software projects become uncontrolled if not planned properly, the testing process is also not effective if not planned earlier. Moreover, if testing is not effective in a software project, it also affects the final software product. Therefore, for a quality software, testing activities must be planned as soon as the project planning starts.

A test plan is defined as a document that describes the scope, approach, resources, and schedule of intended testing activities. Test plan is driven with the business goals of the product. In order to meet a set of goals, the test plan identifies the following:

• Test items
• Features to be tested
• Testing tasks
• Tools selection
• Time and effort estimate
• Who and effort estimate
• Who will do each task
• Any risks
• Milestones