Documenting Test Results

A test lab is not worth implementing at all if the results are not adequately documented. For each set of functionality tested, be sure to meticulously document all the steps taken and all the results exactly as they occur in the test. Results that might appear minor or insignificant during the test might have a significant relationship to other sets of functionality tested later in the test process.

Make sure that each person involved in the test process has a lab notebook, and that they religiously document each result. This helps to identify issues that arise during the test process. In addition, this helps to mitigate any issues should any person in the test process be unable to continue testing. In the high-paced information technology environment, testers might be pulled off to other projects, might take another job within the organization, or might move on to another organization entirely.

One of the most important aspects of documenting the test results is to identify the level of severity in the delta between expected results and actual results. Functionality tests with a green result obviously can pass without comment. Yellow results need to be examined for severity, and a decision needs to be made as to whether or not they should be corrected and retested. Red results need to be scrutinized, and a plan of action for resolution must be created. Creating this plan should be a joint responsibility of the test lead and the team manager.