RE: Writing QA/Test and Acceptance Plan docs

["JonesW" <JonesW -at- aurorabio -dot- com>]

> I've been asked to write a Test and Acceptance Plan doc for 
> one of our products. No clue! 

That's the exact project I'm working on now. First, I wrote User Requirement
Specification (URS) documents and now I'm writing the Acceptance Test Plans
(ATP). This is for robotic contraptions used for pharmaceutical research.
They have a hardware element, as well as a Windows software interface. We
write different tests for hardware and software.

In the ATPs we have the basic introduction then we list the specific
requirements as stated in the URS. Then comes the actual test forms that the
testers will use to test the contraption for user acceptance. This test form
lists prerequisites, such as the name of a test script, accessories needed
to run the protocol, etc. Then comes the meat of the document, the test
procedure. This just tells the tester to load a script that simulates
running a protocol and then verify the result. We also test the GUI by
verifying that all screens function as expected and that when you push an
icon something is supposed to happen.

The last section is the Traceability Matrix. This table just insures that
each specific requirement from the URS is being tested and it shows which of
the tests
are used to test it.

The language is like "Open the P program. Go to the Direct Control screen.
Verify the screen contains N widgets to control the machine. Verify that
when you push the Y button the machine moves one step in the Y direction.
Exit the application and verify the P program completely shuts down and the
machine remains in the idle mode.

Walter Jones
Technical Writer
Aurora Biosciences
San Diego
jonesw -at- aurorabio -dot- com