01Test strategy (long-lived)
Defines:
- What kinds of testing the team does (manual, automated, exploratory, performance, security)
- How risk is assessed and prioritised
- What "done" means for testing in your team
- Tools and process
Written once, updated rarely.
02Test plan (short-lived)
Defines:
- What's being tested (a release, a feature, a fix)
- Which cases are in scope
- Environments and timing
- Roles and sign-off criteria
Written per release or major feature, archived after.
03When formality helps and when it gets in the way
In regulated industries (healthcare, finance), formal test plans are an audit requirement. In most product teams, a one-page plan or a cycle description in the test management tool is enough.
04Related
05Frequently asked questions
Do small teams need both?
Small teams usually don't need a formal test strategy document. A few shared norms ("we always smoke-test before release; exploratory sessions are part of every new feature") play the same role with less overhead.
Is a test plan the same as a test cycle?
Related but not the same. A test plan is the document or intent — what we're going to test and how. A test cycle is the execution container in your tool that holds the actual runs.