# test-planning

Build an actionable test plan for a single sprint or release. It breaks features into testable scenarios, maps requirement coverage, and schedules bug-fix buffers.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 1500 installs · ★ 211
- Author: kindlmann
- License: MIT · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/petrkindlmann/qa-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/test-planning/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-22
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/test-planning

## What it does

The skill generates structured test plans for an upcoming sprint or release. It decomposes features across six scenario types, including happy paths, error conditions, boundary validation, and concurrency edge cases. Traceability rules ensure each requirement links to a concrete test or flags a GAP row.

Planning strictly reserves time for bugs. The methodology allocates only 70-80% of the testing window to planned execution, while explicitly setting aside 20-30% for re-testing and defect triage. The agent relies on `.agents/qa-project-context.md` for team context, templates in `references/workflow-templates.md`, and strict exit criteria like zero open P0/P1 issues.

This skill does not handle multi-quarter roadmaps — use `test-strategy` for long-term planning instead. Likewise, delegating the final go/no-go call requires `release-readiness`.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add petrkindlmann/qa-skills --skill test-planning -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/test-planning/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/test-planning/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add petrkindlmann/qa-skills --skill test-planning -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/test-planning/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add petrkindlmann/qa-skills --skill test-planning -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/test-planning/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install petrkindlmann/qa-skills test-planning
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/test-planning/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add petrkindlmann/qa-skills --skill test-planning -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/petrkindlmann/qa-skills --path skills/test-planning
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/test-planning/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add petrkindlmann/qa-skills --skill test-planning -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/petrkindlmann/qa-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/test-planning/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- decompose features into testable edge cases and race conditions
- build a traceability matrix mapping requirements to test cases
- calculate execution time with a dedicated bug re-testing buffer
- prioritize test scenarios using a risk-by-effort matrix

## Example prompts
- Build a sprint test plan for the features in this cycle
- Map requirement coverage and show any GAP rows
- Create a release test estimation with a buffer for bug fixes

## Source text · SKILL.md · MIT

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: 4eb0ad4867f0795c.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE 4eb0ad4867f0795c
```text
---
name: test-planning
description: >-
  Build a single sprint or release test plan. Covers feature decomposition into
  testable scenarios, requirements-to-test coverage mapping, effort estimation by
  test type, prioritization matrices (risk × effort), resource allocation, and
  scheduling with buffers. Use when: "sprint test plan," "release test plan,"
  "what to test this sprint," "test estimation," "coverage mapping." Not for:
  multi-quarter strategy — use `test-strategy`. Not for: ranking areas by risk —
  use `risk-based-testing`. Not for: the go/no-go decision itself — use
  `release-readiness`.
  Related: test-strategy, risk-based-testing, release-readiness.
license: MIT
metadata:
  author: kindlmann
  version: "2.0"
  category: strategy
---

<objective>
Create actionable test plans for sprints and releases. A test plan answers four questions: what to test, how deeply, who does it, and when it must be done. The output is a living document that tracks progress, not a bureaucratic artifact filed and forgotten. A plan that schedules 100% of available time fails the moment the first bug is found — buffer and prioritization are what make it survive contact with reality.
</objective>

## Quick Route

| Situation | Go to |
|-----------|-------|
| Plan a single sprint | Steps 1-6 below, then the 1-page sprint template in `references/plan-documents.md` |
| Plan a release | Release template in `references/plan-documents.md`; the go/no-go decision itself belongs to `release-readiness` |
| Track an in-flight plan / feed results back | `references/tracking-formats.md` (daily status + retrospective) |
| Decide what to cut when over capacity | Step 4 prioritization matrix |

---

## Discovery Questions

Before writing a test plan, gather context. Check `.agents/qa-project-context.md` first -- if it exists, use it as the foundation and skip questions already answered there.

### Scope

- What is the scope? (single sprint, release, hotfix, feature)
- Which features are new vs. changed vs. unchanged?
- Which features are being released for the first time?
- Are there infrastructure or dependency changes (database migrations, API version bumps, third-party provider switches)?
- Is there a requirements document, PRD, or set of user stories to map against?

### Time and Resources

- What is the testing window? (days, hours available)
- Who is available for testing? (SDETs, manual testers, developers)
- Are there shared resources that could bottleneck? (staging environments, test accounts, devices)
- Is there a hard deadline that cannot move, or is the release date flexible?

### Risk Context

- Which areas changed the most in this cycle?
- What broke in the last release or sprint?
- Are there known fragile areas or tech debt that increase risk?
- For risk-based prioritization methodology, see `risk-based-testing`.

### Existing Coverage
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE 4eb0ad4867f0795c

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