Documentation Testing Plan Example in Software Testing

Documentation testing is the process of manually verifying that all parts and features of a product are adequately documented. Documentation tests can be used to determine whether or not developers have properly followed best-practice documentation standards.

As part of automated testing, documentation tests are performed as part of a smoke test or regression suite. Documentation tests can be created for individual classes and procedures, but are most often done on an overall product level, ensuring that the entire end-user manual is developed according to company standards.

What is Test Documentation?

Documentation testing is performed for two reasons. First, it ensures that the correct and complete information has been provided to end-users. Second, documentation tests ensure that new features are properly documented as they are developed.

Properly written documentation will allow users to perform their jobs more efficiently and will save time when problems do arise. The most common purpose of documentation tests is to determine whether or not developers have properly followed best-practice documentation standards.

For example, if a developer doesn’t use the correct section heading format or fails to include a high-level description at the beginning of each procedure, then that error will be caught by the documentation test.

Documentation testing can also be used for project management purposes. If documentation is not being updated at a proper pace, then the project manager can use documentation testing to identify which developers aren’t following best practices when writing their procedures and help resolve those issues before they become major problems further down the road.

Documentation testing also helps enforce compliance requirements for corporations that are subject to federal or state mandates.

What is a Documentation Test?

Documentation tests are typically developed using proven test data or code from the application. Documentation testing can be done manually or automated, depending on how much documentation is available for each feature. In either scenario, documentation tests are performed against the documentation to verify that it has been written according to standards and all features are properly documented.

Documentation tests can be created for individual classes and procedures or further expanded to include subsections at a functional level, as well as create documentation tests that will verify the entire manual has been written correctly and is complete. Documentation tests can also be performed against Web-based help systems.

What are Best Practices in Test Documentation?

Documentation testing is most effective when combined with good development practices. The following list of best practices will help the quality assurance team ensure that documentation tests are accurate and meaningful, providing positive results to the organization while improving overall documentation standards:

What is Documentation Testing?

As part of automated testing, documentation tests are performed as part of a smoke test or regression suite. Documentation tests can be created for individual classes and procedures, but are most often done on an overall product level, ensuring that the entire end-user manual is developed according to company standards.

Documentation Testing Details:

• Documentation testing is performed for two reasons. First, it ensures that the correct and complete information has been provided to end-users. Second, documentation tests ensure that new features are properly documented as they are developed.
• Properly written documentation will allow users to perform their jobs more efficiently and will save time when problems do arise. The most common purpose of documentation tests is to determine whether or not developers have properly followed best-practice documentation standards.
• Documentation testing can also be used for project management purposes. If documentation is not being updated at a proper pace, then the project manager can use documentation testing to identify which developers aren’t following best practices when writing their procedures and help resolve those issues before they become major problems further down the road.
• Documentation testing also helps enforce compliance requirements for corporations that are subject to federal or state mandates.

Advantages of Test Documentation:

• Documenting each procedure in detail and providing thorough error messages with information on how to solve the error can save the company valuable time and money.
• Documentation tests that are automated and written using proven test data or code from the application being tested will be more accurate than manual documentation testing. Automated documentation testing will also be more consistent and can be run more frequently and in larger batches than manual testing, resulting in fewer errors.
• A detailed end-user manual that covers the entire application or product is good for project management purposes as well; there is nothing worse than having an outstanding test team on a high-profile project with poor documentation to work with.
• An error-free end-user manual that contains all information on the application or product will make a better impression on company management and save money when new employees are hired in the future.

Disadvantages of Documentation Testing:

While documentation tests do provide many advantages to the organization, they can also be time-consuming to write, maintain and execute. In addition, documentation tests can become outdated if they are not written correctly or if the procedure or application changes without the test being updated.

Documentation Testing Best Practices:

Test documentation should provide clear instructions on how to install new software and perform a subset of related tasks. The following list of best practices can help ensure that documentation tests are accurate and effective:

• Include all information for the latest version of the application in the documentation test.
• If a new procedure is needed to support an update, make sure it’s created before testing begins.
• Make sure you know exactly what each test is checking, and record the exact steps used to execute each test.
• Record exactly what information you enter in each field on a web page to replicate an error or how to perform a task.
• Don’t assume that just because a message appears on screen that it has been properly documented. Explain every question that pops up, including error messages and warnings.
• Do a test run with your documentation to ensure that it works correctly. Don’t assume anything!
• Make sure to test every type of hardware and software combination that the application will be used on.