Test Plan: E-Commerce Checkout System¶
Version: 2.0
Date: 2024-01-15
Project: ShopFlow E-Commerce Platform - Checkout Module Enhancement
Author: Sarah Johnson, Test Manager
Reviewed By: Michael Chen, QA Lead
Approved By: Robert Martinez, Project Director
Status: Approved
1. Document Control¶
Revision History¶
| Version | Date | Author | Description of Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 2024-01-05 | Sarah Johnson | Initial draft for review |
| 1.1 | 2024-01-10 | Sarah Johnson | Updated scope based on stakeholder feedback |
| 2.0 | 2024-01-15 | Sarah Johnson | Final version with approved changes |
2. Introduction¶
2.1 Purpose¶
This test plan defines the comprehensive testing approach for the ShopFlow E-Commerce Platform's Checkout Module Enhancement project (Release 3.5). The plan outlines the testing strategy, scope, resources, schedule, and risk mitigation for validating all functional and non-functional requirements of the enhanced checkout experience.
2.2 Scope¶
Project Overview:
The Checkout Module Enhancement project aims to streamline the checkout process, integrate new payment gateways, implement guest checkout functionality, and improve mobile responsiveness. This release directly impacts customer conversion rates and revenue generation.
In Scope: - Enhanced multi-step checkout flow (Cart → Shipping → Payment → Review → Confirmation) - Guest checkout functionality (purchase without account registration) - New payment gateway integrations: - PayPal Express Checkout - Apple Pay - Google Pay - Saved payment methods for registered users - Real-time shipping cost calculation with multiple carriers - Promotional code application and validation - Order review and modification before final submission - Mobile-responsive checkout design (iOS and Android browsers) - Email confirmation and order tracking - Accessibility compliance (WCAG 2.1 Level AA)
Out of Scope: - Existing account management features (covered in separate test cycle) - Product catalog and search functionality - Inventory management system - Customer service portal - Marketing and analytics modules (tested independently) - Backend administrative dashboards
Test Levels: - Unit Testing (Developer-owned) - Integration Testing - System Testing - User Acceptance Testing (UAT) - Performance Testing - Security Testing - Accessibility Testing
Test Types: - Functional Testing - Regression Testing - Cross-browser Testing - Mobile Testing - Payment Gateway Testing - API Testing - Load and Stress Testing - Security and Penetration Testing
2.3 Intended Audience¶
- QA Team Members
- Development Team
- Product Management
- Project Management Office (PMO)
- Business Stakeholders
- DevOps Team
- Security Team
2.4 References¶
- Business Requirements Document (BRD-2024-001)
- Technical Design Document (TDD-Checkout-v3.5)
- User Stories and Acceptance Criteria (Jira Epic: SHOP-1250)
- API Specification Document (API-Spec-v2.3)
- Security Requirements (SEC-REQ-2024)
- Accessibility Standards (WCAG 2.1 Level AA)
- Payment Gateway Integration Guides (PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay)
3. Test Objectives¶
Primary Objectives¶
- Functional Validation: Verify that all checkout functionality meets business requirements with 100% requirements coverage
- Quality Assurance: Achieve defect detection rate target with at least 95% of critical defects identified before UAT
- Performance Validation: Ensure checkout process completes within 3 seconds for 95th percentile under normal load
- Security Compliance: Validate PCI-DSS compliance for payment processing with zero critical security vulnerabilities
- User Experience: Confirm mobile responsiveness and accessibility standards are met across all target devices
- Integration Validation: Verify seamless integration with payment gateways and shipping providers with 99.9% transaction success rate
Success Criteria¶
- All critical and high-priority test cases pass
- Zero critical or high-severity defects remain open
- Performance benchmarks met for all critical user journeys
- Security audit completed with no unresolved critical findings
- UAT sign-off obtained from business stakeholders
- Accessibility compliance verified by independent audit
4. Test Strategy¶
4.1 Testing Approach¶
Methodology: Agile with two-week sprints (Sprint-based testing)
Testing Philosophy: - Shift-left approach with early testing involvement - Risk-based testing prioritization - Continuous integration and testing - Automated regression suite for every build - Exploratory testing for user experience validation
4.2 Test Design Techniques¶
Black-Box Techniques: - Equivalence Partitioning for input validation - Boundary Value Analysis for payment amounts, quantity limits - Decision Tables for discount and tax calculation logic - State Transition Testing for checkout flow navigation - Use Case Testing based on user stories
White-Box Techniques: - Code Coverage Analysis (minimum 80% for critical modules) - API Integration Testing with various request/response scenarios
Experience-Based Techniques: - Exploratory Testing sessions (2 hours per sprint) - Error Guessing for edge cases and exceptional scenarios - Checklist-based Testing for cross-browser compatibility
4.3 Test Automation Strategy¶
Automation Scope: - All smoke tests (critical path validation) - 70% of regression test suite - API integration tests (100% coverage) - Performance test scenarios
Tools: - Selenium WebDriver for UI automation - Cypress for end-to-end testing - Postman/Newman for API testing - JMeter for performance testing - OWASP ZAP for security scanning
Automation Schedule: - Smoke tests: Execute on every build - Regression suite: Execute nightly - Performance tests: Execute weekly - Security scans: Execute before each release
4.4 Entry Criteria¶
- Requirements documented and approved
- Test environment provisioned and validated
- Test data prepared and loaded
- Required test tools installed and configured
- Unit testing completed with >85% code coverage
- Test cases reviewed and approved
- Resources allocated and trained
4.5 Exit Criteria¶
- 100% of planned test cases executed
- 95% pass rate achieved for all test cases
- Zero critical and high-severity defects open
- All medium-severity defects reviewed and accepted by stakeholders
- Performance benchmarks met
- Security testing completed with accepted risk profile
- UAT sign-off received
- Test summary report approved
4.6 Suspension Criteria¶
Testing will be suspended if: - Environment is unavailable for more than 4 hours - Critical defects block >30% of planned testing - Major architectural changes require test redesign - More than 25% of test cases fail in any category
4.7 Resumption Criteria¶
Testing will resume when: - Environment issues are resolved and verified - Blocking defects are fixed and verified - Updated builds are deployed and smoke tested - Test Manager approves resumption
5. Test Environment¶
5.1 Environment Details¶
| Environment | Purpose | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| DEV | Development testing, early integration | 24/7 |
| QA | System testing, integration testing | 24/7 |
| STAGE | UAT, performance testing, pre-production validation | Business hours + scheduled testing windows |
| PROD | Production (monitoring only) | 24/7 |
5.2 Hardware/Software Requirements¶
Application Servers: - 2x Application Servers (8 cores, 32GB RAM, Ubuntu 20.04) - 1x Database Server (16 cores, 64GB RAM, PostgreSQL 14) - Load Balancer (HAProxy)
Test Client Machines: - Windows 10/11 workstations (5 machines) - MacOS devices for Safari testing (2 machines) - Physical mobile devices: - iPhone 13, 14 (iOS 16+) - Samsung Galaxy S21, S22 (Android 12+) - iPad Air (latest)
Software Stack: - Frontend: React 18.2, TypeScript 4.9 - Backend: Node.js 18 LTS, Express 4.18 - Database: PostgreSQL 14.5 - Cache: Redis 7.0 - Message Queue: RabbitMQ 3.11
Browsers: - Chrome (latest 2 versions) - Firefox (latest 2 versions) - Safari (latest 2 versions) - Edge (latest 2 versions) - Mobile browsers: Safari iOS, Chrome Android
Test Tools: - Test Management: TestRail - Defect Tracking: Jira - Automation: Selenium 4.x, Cypress 12.x - API Testing: Postman, Newman - Performance: JMeter 5.5 - Security: OWASP ZAP 2.12 - CI/CD: Jenkins, GitHub Actions
5.3 Test Data Requirements¶
- 500 user accounts (various customer profiles)
- 100 products across different categories and price ranges
- 20 promotional codes (active, expired, usage-limited)
- Test credit card numbers (from payment gateway sandbox)
- Multiple shipping addresses (domestic and international)
- Mock payment gateway responses (success, failure, timeout scenarios)
6. Resource Planning¶
6.1 Team Structure¶
| Role | Name | Responsibility | Allocation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test Manager | Sarah Johnson | Overall test planning, coordination, reporting | 100% |
| QA Lead | Michael Chen | Test design, execution oversight, defect triage | 100% |
| Senior Test Engineer | Emily Rodriguez | Functional testing, test case design | 100% |
| Test Engineer | David Kim | Test execution, defect logging | 100% |
| Test Engineer | Lisa Patel | Cross-browser and mobile testing | 100% |
| Automation Engineer | James Wilson | Test automation development and maintenance | 100% |
| Performance Tester | Anna Kowalski | Performance and load testing | 50% |
| Security Tester | Tom Anderson | Security testing and compliance | 25% |
6.2 Training Requirements¶
- Payment gateway testing workshop (2 days) - All test engineers
- Cypress automation training (3 days) - Automation team
- Accessibility testing certification (1 day) - All testers
- Performance testing with JMeter (2 days) - Performance tester
6.3 External Dependencies¶
- Payment gateway sandbox environments (PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay)
- Shipping carrier API access (FedEx, UPS, USPS test APIs)
- Third-party accessibility audit vendor (scheduled for Week 6)
- DevOps team for environment provisioning and deployments
7. Test Schedule¶
7.1 High-Level Timeline¶
| Phase | Duration | Start Date | End Date | Key Milestones |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test Planning | 1 week | Jan 8 | Jan 15 | Test plan approval |
| Test Design | 2 weeks | Jan 15 | Jan 29 | Test cases complete |
| Environment Setup | 1 week | Jan 22 | Jan 29 | Environment ready |
| Sprint 1 Testing | 2 weeks | Jan 29 | Feb 12 | Guest checkout validated |
| Sprint 2 Testing | 2 weeks | Feb 12 | Feb 26 | Payment integrations validated |
| Sprint 3 Testing | 2 weeks | Feb 26 | Mar 11 | Mobile optimization validated |
| Regression Testing | 1 week | Mar 11 | Mar 18 | Full regression pass |
| Performance Testing | 1 week | Mar 11 | Mar 18 | Load tests complete |
| Security Testing | 1 week | Mar 13 | Mar 20 | Security audit complete |
| UAT | 2 weeks | Mar 18 | Apr 1 | Business sign-off |
| Production Release | 1 day | Apr 3 | Apr 3 | Go-live |
7.2 Agile Sprint Breakdown¶
Sprint 1 (Jan 29 - Feb 12): Guest Checkout Foundation - User Story Testing: Guest checkout flow - Integration Testing: User session management - Regression: Existing registered user checkout
Sprint 2 (Feb 12 - Feb 26): Payment Gateway Integration - User Story Testing: PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay - Integration Testing: Payment processing and order creation - Regression: Existing credit card payments
Sprint 3 (Feb 26 - Mar 11): Mobile & Polish - User Story Testing: Mobile responsiveness - Cross-browser Testing: All supported browsers - Accessibility Testing: WCAG compliance - Regression: Full checkout flow
7.3 Testing Effort Estimation¶
| Activity | Estimated Hours | Team Members |
|---|---|---|
| Test case design | 160 | 2 Test Engineers |
| Manual test execution | 320 | 3 Test Engineers |
| Test automation development | 240 | 1 Automation Engineer |
| Performance testing | 80 | 1 Performance Tester |
| Security testing | 40 | 1 Security Tester |
| Defect verification | 120 | 2 Test Engineers |
| Test reporting | 40 | 1 Test Manager |
| Total | 1,000 hours | 6 FTE (avg) |
8. Risk Assessment¶
8.1 Technical Risks¶
| Risk ID | Risk Description | Probability | Impact | Mitigation Strategy | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TR-01 | Payment gateway integration failures | Medium | High | Early integration testing, sandbox testing, fallback mechanisms | Dev Lead |
| TR-02 | Performance degradation with new features | Medium | High | Early performance testing, load testing in staging, CDN optimization | Performance Tester |
| TR-03 | Cross-browser compatibility issues | High | Medium | Early cross-browser testing, BrowserStack usage, progressive enhancement | QA Lead |
| TR-04 | Mobile responsiveness defects | Medium | High | Mobile-first testing approach, real device testing, responsive design review | Test Engineer |
| TR-05 | Security vulnerabilities in payment flow | Low | Critical | Security testing, code review, PCI-DSS audit, penetration testing | Security Tester |
| TR-06 | Third-party API downtime (shipping, payment) | Medium | High | Circuit breaker patterns, retry logic, graceful degradation testing | Dev Lead |
8.2 Resource Risks¶
| Risk ID | Risk Description | Probability | Impact | Mitigation Strategy | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RR-01 | Key team member unavailability | Medium | Medium | Cross-training, documentation, backup resources | Test Manager |
| RR-02 | Insufficient test environment capacity | Low | High | Early environment provisioning, cloud scaling options | DevOps Lead |
| RR-03 | Delayed access to payment gateway sandboxes | Medium | High | Early coordination with vendors, alternative test accounts | Test Manager |
| RR-04 | Tool licensing issues | Low | Medium | Validate licenses early, open-source alternatives identified | Test Manager |
8.3 Schedule Risks¶
| Risk ID | Risk Description | Probability | Impact | Mitigation Strategy | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SR-01 | Development delays impact test schedule | High | High | Buffer time in schedule, parallel testing where possible, risk-based prioritization | Project Manager |
| SR-02 | Late requirement changes | Medium | High | Change control process, impact analysis, scope management | Product Owner |
| SR-03 | Extended defect fixing cycles | Medium | High | Early defect detection, daily triage, dedicated fix verification time | QA Lead |
| SR-04 | UAT delays due to stakeholder availability | Medium | Medium | Early UAT scheduling, flexible UAT windows, remote testing options | Test Manager |
9. Test Deliverables¶
9.1 Test Planning Deliverables¶
- ✓ Test Plan Document (this document)
- ✓ Test Strategy Summary
- ✓ Risk Assessment Matrix
- ✓ Resource Allocation Plan
9.2 Test Design Deliverables¶
- Test Case Repository (estimated 350 test cases)
- Traceability Matrix (requirements to test cases)
- Test Data Specifications
- Automation Test Scripts
9.3 Test Execution Deliverables¶
- Daily Test Execution Reports
- Sprint Test Summary Reports
- Defect Reports (tracked in Jira)
- Test Evidence (screenshots, logs, recordings)
9.4 Test Closure Deliverables¶
- Test Summary Report
- Test Metrics Dashboard
- Lessons Learned Document
- Regression Test Suite Handoff
10. Defect Management¶
10.1 Defect Workflow¶
- Identification: Tester identifies defect during execution
- Logging: Defect logged in Jira with full details
- Triage: Daily defect triage meeting (10 AM)
- Assignment: Defect assigned to developer
- Fix: Developer fixes and moves to "Ready for Testing"
- Verification: Tester verifies fix
- Closure: Defect closed or reopened if not fixed
10.2 Severity Definitions¶
| Severity | Definition | Example | Response Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Critical | System crash, data loss, security breach, payment processing failure | Payment transaction fails for all users | 4 hours |
| High | Major feature non-functional, significant impact to users | Guest checkout completely broken | 24 hours |
| Medium | Feature partially working, workaround exists | Shipping cost calculation incorrect for one carrier | 3 days |
| Low | Minor UI issues, cosmetic defects | Button alignment slightly off | 5 days |
10.3 Priority Definitions¶
| Priority | Definition | When to Use |
|---|---|---|
| P1 - Urgent | Must fix immediately, blocks testing or release | Critical severity defects, showstoppers |
| P2 - High | Fix in current sprint | High severity defects affecting major features |
| P3 - Medium | Fix in next sprint or release | Medium severity defects with workarounds |
| P4 - Low | Fix when possible | Low severity, cosmetic issues |
11. Communication Plan¶
11.1 Meetings and Ceremonies¶
| Meeting | Frequency | Duration | Attendees | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprint Planning | Every 2 weeks | 2 hours | Full team | Plan sprint testing |
| Daily Standup | Daily | 15 min | QA team | Status updates, blockers |
| Defect Triage | Daily | 30 min | QA Lead, Dev Lead, PM | Prioritize and assign defects |
| Sprint Review | Every 2 weeks | 1 hour | Full team, stakeholders | Demo and review |
| Sprint Retrospective | Every 2 weeks | 1 hour | QA team | Process improvement |
| Weekly Status | Weekly | 30 min | Test Manager, PM, stakeholders | Overall progress |
11.2 Reporting¶
Daily: - Test execution status dashboard (updated in real-time in TestRail) - Critical defect alerts (email notifications)
Weekly: - Test Summary Report (sent every Friday) - Metrics Dashboard (updated in Confluence) - Risk and Issue Log Review
Sprint End: - Sprint Test Report - Defect Summary Report - Updated Risk Assessment
Project End: - Final Test Summary Report - Quality Metrics Analysis - Lessons Learned Document
12. Metrics and Quality Gates¶
12.1 Key Metrics¶
| Metric | Target | Measurement Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Requirements Coverage | 100% | End of test design |
| Test Case Pass Rate | ≥95% | Daily during execution |
| Defect Detection Rate | ≥80% found before UAT | Weekly |
| Defect Fix Rate | ≥90% within SLA | Daily |
| Test Automation Coverage | ≥70% | End of each sprint |
| Code Coverage (Unit Tests) | ≥85% | Every build |
| Test Execution Progress | Track daily against plan | Daily |
| Defect Density | <2 defects per requirement | End of testing |
12.2 Quality Gates¶
Gate 1 - Test Readiness (Jan 29): - Test plan approved - 100% test cases written and reviewed - Test environment validated - Test data loaded - Automation framework ready
Gate 2 - Sprint Completion (Each Sprint): - 95% sprint test cases executed - Zero critical defects open - Sprint goals met - Regression tests passed
Gate 3 - UAT Readiness (Mar 18): - All planned testing complete - 95% overall pass rate - Zero critical/high defects - Performance benchmarks met - Security testing complete
Gate 4 - Production Release (Apr 3): - UAT sign-off received - All quality gates passed - Production deployment plan approved - Rollback plan validated - Support team trained
13. Assumptions and Dependencies¶
13.1 Assumptions¶
- Development team completes features per sprint commitment
- Payment gateway sandbox environments remain available
- No major requirement changes after Jan 15
- Test team fully staffed throughout project
- Infrastructure and tools provisioned on time
13.2 Dependencies¶
- Access to payment gateway test environments (PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay)
- Shipping carrier test API credentials
- Production-like test environment availability
- DevOps team for deployments and environment support
- Business stakeholders available for UAT (Mar 18 - Apr 1)
- Security audit vendor availability (Week of Mar 13)
14. Approval¶
This test plan is approved by the following stakeholders:
| Name | Role | Signature | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarah Johnson | Test Manager | /s/ S. Johnson | Jan 15, 2024 |
| Michael Chen | QA Lead | /s/ M. Chen | Jan 15, 2024 |
| Robert Martinez | Project Director | /s/ R. Martinez | Jan 15, 2024 |
| Jennifer Lee | Product Owner | /s/ J. Lee | Jan 15, 2024 |
| David Thompson | Development Manager | /s/ D. Thompson | Jan 15, 2024 |
Appendix A: Waterfall Variation Notes¶
For organizations using Waterfall methodology, the following adjustments would apply:
Key Differences: - Test planning occurs after requirements phase completion - Test design happens in parallel with development - Test execution starts after development completion - Single UAT phase instead of sprint reviews - Formal phase-gate approvals required - More comprehensive upfront documentation - Less flexibility for change during execution
Modified Timeline for Waterfall: 1. Requirements Phase (Complete) 2. Design Phase (Complete) 3. Test Planning (Week 1-2): Comprehensive test plan 4. Test Design (Week 3-6): All test cases designed upfront 5. Development (Week 1-12) 6. Environment Setup (Week 10-12): Parallel to late development 7. Test Execution (Week 13-18): System testing 8. UAT (Week 19-20): Business validation 9. Production Release (Week 21)
Document End