Communicate Research Questions - I

This section is the single most important one in the test plan, because it describes the issues and questions that need to be resolved and focuses the research, as well as the rest of the activities associated with planning, designing, and conducting the test. It is essential that the research questions be as precise, accurate, clear, and measurable (or observable) as possible.

Even when conducting exploratory testing in the early stages of developing a product, which is typically less structured, you still need to accurately describe what you hope to learn.

Without a clear succinct research question(s), you might End yourself in the unenviable position of conducting a wonderful test that neglects to answer the key concern of developers on the project team. Or, you might find yourself with a test whose dev elopment bogs down in controversy because no one can agree on what to test. Speaking from experience, we have seen test preparations move in circles and the test itself result in controversy because the test objectives were never committed to paper.

The following are two examples of unfocused and vague research questions.
■ EXAMPLE 1. Is the current product usable?
— EXAMPLE 2. Is the product ready for release or does it need more work?