Review the test plan

- [Narrator] Getting started with any product test begins with reviewing the test plan. Whether you were its author or you are executing someone else's plan, it's the beginning point in any test. The plan contains all the critical data for executing a quality test, and it should be the first thing you consult every time you are about to embark on a new project. The first thing to consider in your review is a check for accuracy. Does the plan reflect the current feature set? Does it still effectively cover all the areas needing testing? Do you have the right resources, budget, and schedule in the plan? Careful scrutiny of the plan is absolutely critical before you begin the test because it's best to start off on a solid foundation. You might assume that a recently finished plan doesn't need review. But it doesn't matter if the plan was created a day before or months. Things change quickly in development and you can't just assume that it's going to be the same. Coordinate with your developers, your product managers, and any other person involved in defining the features to insure your plan reflects the current state of the project. Looking over the Explore California test plan, we can see that things are pretty thoroughly documented and even updated recently. However we will still walk through each section carefully to ensure the plan covers everything. We will make notes as we go page by page and ensure the document has everything we need. We'll note any differences, concerns, questions, or issues to ensure we can discuss it with our partners. If there are changes, don't be frustrated. It's part of the process. Just work with the author of the plan to ensure you document the changes necessary so it covers anything removed, added, or updated. Be detailed about these differences in both your changes to the plan and how you document it. Make notes and be certain you revise the version of the plan because sometimes these changes can come back to haunt you later. Also remember, just because you are reviewing it today doesn't mean the plan is going away. It is your reference document throughout your project. When you have questions, you'll go to the plan. If someone questions your testing, you'll show them the plan. It should be at your fingertips throughout your testing and be able to quickly referenced to keep you on track.