Test Procedure
A test procedure is a documented sequence of actions required to execute one or more test cases.
“A sequence of test cases in execution order and any associated actions that may be required to set up the initial preconditions and any wrap-up activities after execution.”
(Definition reproduced from the ISTQB Glossary. Copyright belongs to ISTQB.)
View the complete ISTQB GlossaryWhat is Test Procedure?
It specifies the order of execution, required setup, inputs, expected outcomes, and any cleanup activities needed to perform testing consistently.
Execution guidance: Defines how tests should be performed.
Repeatability: Ensures consistent execution across testers.
Supports automation: Procedures may be manual or automated.
Real World Example
A team testing a hotel booking flow has fifteen individual test cases covering search, room selection, adding a guest, applying a promo code, payment, and confirmation.
Different testers get different results running the same regression cycle, because nobody documented what order the cases need to run in or what state the environment must be reset to first — one tester applies the promo-code case against a fresh account, another against an account with leftover cart items from a previous run.
The tester writes an actual Test procedure: preconditions (create a fresh test account, clear the cart), the required execution order for the fifteen cases (search before selection before guest details before promo code before payment, since each case's output feeds the next), and wrap-up steps (cancel the reservation, restore inventory) so the environment is clean afterward.
Two different testers running the same regression cycle a month apart now get identical, reproducible results, because the Test procedure — not just the individual test cases — specifies both the order and the setup and teardown steps around them.
Practice Questions
Question 1
A team has fifteen individual test cases for a hotel booking flow, but different testers get inconsistent results depending on the order they run them in and whether they reset the account first. What is missing?
Question 2
Which BEST describes the difference between a test case and a test procedure?
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