Skip to content

Sprint Testing Workflow

📋 Metadata

  • Audience: QA Engineers, Scrum Teams
  • Sprint Duration: 2 weeks (typical)
  • Last Updated: 2026-01-01
  • Version: 1.0

🎯 Objective

Complete testing workflow for a 2-week sprint cycle, from planning to retrospective.


📅 Sprint Planning (Day 1)

Morning: Sprint Planning Meeting

Preparation (Before meeting):

During Meeting:

  • Understand acceptance criteria
  • Identify testable requirements
  • Estimate testing effort
  • Flag testing dependencies

Afternoon: Test Planning

Prompts to Use:

Deliverables:

  • [ ] Test strategy document
  • [ ] Testing scope defined
  • [ ] Test environment requirements
  • [ ] Test data needs identified
  • [ ] Automation candidates identified

Template:

Sprint: [Sprint Number]
Stories: [List user stories]
Testing Focus: [Areas to test]
Automation Plan: [What to automate]
Risks: [Identified risks]

🏗️ Sprint Days 2-3: Setup & Early Testing

Test Environment Setup

Actions:

  • Set up test environments
  • Configure CI/CD pipelines
  • Prepare test data

Prompts to Use:

Early Story Testing

For Ready Stories:

  1. Generate test cases using Test Case Writing
  2. Review with developers
  3. Start exploratory testing on completed work

🚀 Sprint Days 4-8: Active Development & Testing

Daily Activities

Morning Stand-up

Report:

  • Tests completed yesterday
  • Tests planned for today
  • Blockers

Test Execution

Manual Testing:

Automation:

Bug Triage (Daily)

Process:

  1. Review new bugs
  2. Prioritize with team
  3. Retest fixed bugs
  4. Update bug status

Mid-Sprint Review (Day 5-6)

Actions:

  • Review testing progress
  • Adjust test plan if needed
  • Identify at-risk stories
  • Update automation coverage

Metrics to Check:

  • Test execution rate
  • Bug discovery rate
  • Automation coverage
  • Story completion vs testing

🔍 Sprint Days 9-10: Intensive Testing

Regression Testing

Prompts to Use:

Execute:

  • Automated regression suite
  • Manual regression for critical paths
  • Cross-browser testing
  • Mobile testing (if applicable)

Integration Testing

Prompts to Use:

Test:

  • End-to-end user journeys
  • System integrations
  • Data flow across services

Visual Testing

Prompts to Use:

Actions:

  • Run visual regression tests
  • Review UI changes
  • Validate responsive design

✅ Sprint Day 11: Stabilization

Bug Bash (Optional)

Format:

  • 2-hour focused testing session
  • Entire team participates
  • Use Manual Testing exploratory testing charters

Final Bug Fixes

Priority:

  • Critical bugs must be fixed
  • High priority bugs reviewed
  • Medium/Low bugs moved to backlog

Test Completion

Checklist:

  • [ ] All stories tested
  • [ ] Critical bugs fixed and retested
  • [ ] Regression suite passed
  • [ ] Automation updated
  • [ ] Test reports generated

📊 Sprint Day 12: Review & Demo

Sprint Review Preparation

Prompts to Use:

Prepare:

  • Test execution summary
  • Bug metrics
  • Automation coverage report
  • Quality dashboard

Sprint Review Meeting

Present:

  • Testing achievements
  • Quality metrics
  • Known issues
  • Risks for next sprint

Demo:

  • Showcase automated tests (if relevant)
  • Demonstrate test coverage

🔄 Sprint Day 13: Retrospective & Planning

Sprint Retrospective

Testing Focus:

  • What went well in testing?
  • What testing challenges did we face?
  • How can we improve testing process?
  • Action items for next sprint

Topics to Discuss:

  • Test automation effectiveness
  • Bug discovery timing
  • Test environment issues
  • Tool improvements needed

Next Sprint Preparation

Actions:

  • Review upcoming stories
  • Identify testing challenges
  • Plan automation work
  • Update test strategy

📈 Continuous Activities (Throughout Sprint)

Daily

  • [ ] Execute test cases
  • [ ] Log and track bugs
  • [ ] Update test automation
  • [ ] Review CI/CD results
  • [ ] Sync with developers

Every 2-3 Days

  • [ ] Update test metrics
  • [ ] Review automation coverage
  • [ ] Refactor test code
  • [ ] Update documentation

Weekly

  • [ ] Team testing sync
  • [ ] Review test strategy
  • [ ] Update risk analysis
  • [ ] Knowledge sharing

🎯 Testing Priorities by Sprint Phase

Early Sprint (Days 1-4)

Focus: Planning & Setup

  • Test planning
  • Environment setup
  • Early story testing
  • Automation framework updates

Mid Sprint (Days 5-8)

Focus: Active Testing

  • Feature testing
  • Bug fixing
  • Automation development
  • Exploratory testing

Late Sprint (Days 9-12)

Focus: Stabilization

  • Regression testing
  • Integration testing
  • Bug verification
  • Quality reporting

🚨 Red Flags to Watch

Testing Falling Behind

Signs:

  • Stories marked "Done" but not tested
  • Growing untested backlog
  • Automation coverage decreasing

Actions:

  1. Escalate to Scrum Master
  2. Reprioritize testing
  3. Request team help
  4. Adjust scope if needed

Quality Issues

Signs:

  • High bug count late in sprint
  • Critical bugs discovered
  • Regression failures

Actions:

  1. Use Test Strategy risk analysis
  2. Focus on critical paths
  3. Consider extending sprint
  4. Plan technical debt sprint

Environment Problems

Signs:

  • Frequent environment downtime
  • Data issues
  • CI/CD failures

Actions:

  1. Document issues
  2. Work with DevOps
  3. Have backup plan
  4. Test locally when possible

📋 Sprint Testing Checklist

Sprint Start

  • [ ] Test plan created
  • [ ] Environments ready
  • [ ] Test data prepared
  • [ ] Automation framework updated
  • [ ] Team aligned on testing approach

Mid-Sprint

  • [ ] 50%+ stories tested
  • [ ] Automation progressing
  • [ ] Bugs being fixed
  • [ ] No major blockers

Sprint End

  • [ ] All stories tested
  • [ ] Regression passed
  • [ ] Critical bugs fixed
  • [ ] Test reports ready
  • [ ] Demo prepared

Planning Phase

Execution Phase

Stabilization Phase

Review Phase



Remember: Adapt this workflow to your team's sprint length and process. Communication is key!

Released under the MIT License