1d Testing & Test Plans *

Question 1

Explain the importance of test plans in the system cycle (4 marks)

Answer 1

 plans to test the system’s performance against the
design specification (1) allows discrepancies to be
identified (1)
 describes each item that needs to be tested (1)
specifies how each test will be carried out upon it (1)
 identifies input values and shows expected output
values (1) documents test details for repeat of tests (1)
 documents the testing strategy (1) through the
normal, extreme and erroneous test values used (1)

Question 2

Identify and describe 3 types of data used in a test plan (6 marks)

Answer 2

Normal/correct/valid data - everyday data that is tested should not generate any error messages
Extreme/boundary data - test data at the upper/lower end of tolerances

Erroneous/incorrect/invalid data - this data outside the tolerances and possibly of the wrong type should not be accepted and provide error messages

Question 3

A company has a new database system to record appointments. Explain 2 reasons why it is necessary to test the system before installation (4 marks)

Answer 3

To make sure the system returns the expected results and then any identified faults can be identified.

To give users confidence in the system by proving that it can cope with all type of entries.