How do you communicate across software testing levels?

test strategy should also be a document that is reviewed with the dev teams. Pull everyone into a meeting and go through the doc, confirm that you are all on the same page and the expectations of the test coverage is the same. Discuss what you hope to get out of testing, ask if there is grey areas, how issues will get looked into by the devs remember this is not a QA thing, quality is a team activity and as a team you should all have the same idea of what you are testing. Also discuss what will be covered in unit tests, what is the automation expectations, exploratory if any, if we are using any subject matters experts, etc

Testing strategy should be defined, documented, reviewed with entire team including Dev and QA. We should have defined goal, scope for each level of testing. Also consider risk & test plan format.

To create an effective testing strategy, it is of great importance to involve ourselves as much as possible from the project's inception in order to have as many firsthand details as possible. Prior research is vital. Investigate organizational software history, current development challenges, similar market apps and common defects, relevant industry standards, and all stakeholders. Many teams lack time for long 17-page strategies; consider a concise "Lean Test Strategy" on a single page. Finally, based on my experience, there's substantial value in sharing the testing strategy with the Product Owner for feedback. Their product expertise often reveals opportunities to strengthen our strategy's robustness from a product perspective.

The Test Strategy should define all the testing phases that will be conducted for the project along with a brief description of what the test phase means, its entry and exit criteria and contact points.

Clear communication, collaboration, and integration across test levels leads to comprehensive, efficient testing. Define an overall testing strategy and scope early on. Make sure all test levels align to the business objectives. Document the strategy clearly. Establish traceability between test levels. Make sure tests at each level map back to requirements and use consistent naming conventions. Utilize a centralized test management system for requirements, test cases, defects, etc. Makes data accessible to all testers. Hold regular meetings or status calls to discuss progress, risks, defects between teams. Sync up before major milestones.

While its good to have standards and common terminology, its important to acknowledge the terminology used in house (at company, team, function level). Using IEEE standards for example can sometimes add confusion if there is already a standard in place

One of the thing to be considered is to have precise tests strategy document where every aspect of the testing cycle is explicitly documented and is peer reviewed by requirements team, design team and development team. And all these teams are on the same page with testing teams Test Strategy and Test Design document.

Adopt a standard test case template that includes preconditions, test steps, expected results, postconditions, and other relevant fields. Establish a central requirements or test management system with uniform requirements and test documentation. Ex: TestRail Clearly define test-related terms and acronyms in a shared glossary document. For example: what constitutes a "passed" vs "failed" test. Standardize severity levels and definitions for reporting bugs/defects across test levels. Leverage a common test reporting format and metrics for test status, progress, and results. Hold cross-team reviews of tests, requirements, and defects to align understanding.

Team effort to test software, fix issues, ensure it works. Goals: find problems, ensure proper functioning. Address glitches for safety. Plan, test, try different scenarios. Tools and teamwork for success. Perform tests, track, and communicate issues. Share updates for everyone's awareness. Learn and enhance software based on insights. Testing ends when satisfied, software ready. Keep records for future reference and learning.

The use of readme.md is the most effective way to establish common terminology and ensure successful communication and management of the project.

comm channels and tools should already be defined in ways of working if you are already embedded but for any new or relatively new space, these is a MUST to discuss

Implement a bug/defect tracking system that enables coordination during triage, assignment, and resolution. Automate notifications on test completion, test failures, new defects - helps teams stay in sync. Create knowledge management resources like Wikis, shared drives for testers to access process docs, standards, etc.

We should always use a common channel like Email, JIRA, ALM, Octane etc for communication throughout testing phase. The same should be called out in the test strategy document as well. Daily Status Report (Prepartion, Execution) plays an important role in communicating the status of the project being tested.

Promote proactive communication. The goal is to avoid situations in which a communication goes unanswered, resulting in a day of inaction due to the "lack of response." The testing team should function as action drivers, ensuring that goals are met in a timely and effective manner. Make a communication hierarchy for topics based on their importance. To accomplish this, use communication channels such as chat, emails, and tracking tools such as Azure DevOps or Jira.

remember that each member have their own strengths, when giving the feedback, find out the way testers are doing things before asking them to change, their way could be better, and if not it can still be a good learning for you

Suggesting techniques to encourage participation, like asking open-ended questions and active listening, can help build a culture of open communication. Adding a note on how to act upon received feedback and the importance of visible improvements can make this point more actionable.

After testing is completed a test closure document should be produced which should contain the components tested, planned vs actual timelines, defect details, RAID items, entry & exit criteria and the lessons learnt.

Involves assessing the results of the testing process to determine whether the software meets the required quality standards. This step includes analyzing test results, identifying defects, measuring coverage, and making decisions about the software's readiness for release based on the testing outcomes.

be eloquent, precise and to the point, don't get too detailed heavy but ensure your are clear in comms. Leave time for questions If you get a question you don't know acknowledge and let ppl know u will need to confirm Follow up with team about your plan during project Keep your strategy a living document, amend update and fine tune

The communication with Testing is usually done by test analysts and designers. Development needs to inform testing about issues like especially complex or difficult areas of the product, which areas are new development and which have “just” been updated, other areas that need special attention for various reasons.