Glossary · Engineering, integration and validation
Test procedure
Also known as: Test instruction, Test method statement
German: Prüfanweisung
In testing and quality assurance, a test procedure is a documented sequence of steps describing how to carry out a test: required equipment and setup, preconditions, actions, measurements, acceptance criteria and how to record results. It lets different testers perform the test the same way.
- Validation
In one sentence
A test procedure describes how to carry out a test: equipment, setup, steps, measurements, acceptance criteria and how to record results.
Example
The test procedure for the stopping time measurement specifies the measuring device, the test speed, ten repetitions and the maximum permitted value.
How it applies
- Engineering: Test procedures are written for design tests, production tests, acceptance tests and periodic tests. They are derived from requirements and Test cases.
- Commissioning and maintenance: Recurring tests, such as a Proof test of a safety function, need clear procedures so that each execution is comparable.
- Quality: Procedures are controlled documents; results are recorded in a Test protocol that references the procedure revision.
- Documentation: Test procedures follow the same writing rules as task instructions: one action per step, clear expected results and safety information before the step. The documentation team can structure them as a DITA task and reuse steps.
Test procedure vs. test protocol
The procedure is the instruction written before testing; the Test protocol is the record of what was done and found. In German, Prüfanweisung and Prüfprotokoll mark this difference clearly; in English, "test protocol" is sometimes used for the plan, so projects should define their terms.