📘 Topic 1: What is SDLC?
🔹 Definition
SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) is a structured process used by software teams to design, develop, test, and deploy high-quality software efficiently.
📖 Nepali Insight:
SDLC भनेको software बनाउने पुरा process हो — idea देखी लिएर testing, deployment र maintenance सम्मको step-by-step plan।
🔹 Key Objectives of SDLC
| Goal | Explanation |
| Structure | हर काम plan अनुसार हुन्छ |
| Quality | Testing integrated हर चरणमा हुन्छ |
| Time-saving | Rework कम हुन्छ |
| Cost-effective | Error early stage मा नै पकडिन्छ |
🔹 Common SDLC Phases
| Phase | Description |
| 1. Requirement Gathering | Client संग कुरा गरी expectation लेखिन्छ |
| 2. Planning | Timeline, tools, resources तय हुन्छ |
| 3. Design | UI/UX, architecture, wireframes बनाइन्छ |
| 4. Development | Actual coding सुरू हुन्छ |
| 5. Testing | QA team ले verify गर्छ कि software सही काम गर्छ कि छैन |
| 6. Deployment | Production मा software launch गरिन्छ |
| 7. Maintenance | Bugs fix, updates, support चलिरहन्छ |
🧠 QA Role Focuses on:
Testing phase, but also starts giving feedback from requirement and planning phase onward.
🔹 SDLC Models
We’ll cover these models in upcoming topics:
- Waterfall
- V-Model
- Agile
- Spiral
- Iterative
- Big Bang
📘 Topic 2: SDLC Models – Types, Differences & QA Role
🔹 1. Waterfall Model
Oldest and most linear model — each phase is completed fully before the next begins.
📖 Nepali View:
Waterfall भनेको “step by step” model हो — एक चरण सकिएपछि मात्र अर्को सुरू हुन्छ।
| Phase Flow: | Requirements → Design → Development → Testing → Deployment → Maintenance |
| QA Role: | Testing occurs only after development finishes |
✅ Best For:
- Fixed scope projects
- Government or compliance-based work
❌ Not Ideal:
- If changes are expected later
🔹 2. V-Model (Validation & Verification)
Same as Waterfall but with parallel testing at every stage.
📖 Nepali View:
V-Model मा development र testing side-by-side parallel मा जान्छ — validation हुन्छ हरेक चरणमा।
| Flow: | Left = Dev, Right = Test |
| QA Role: | Starts early (test plan during design phase) |
✅ Best For:
- Critical systems (banking, healthcare)
- Early QA involvement
🔹 3. Agile Model
Iterative, flexible, and fast — development happens in short cycles (called Sprints).
📖 Nepali View:
Agile भनेको “छोटो-छोटो टुक्रामा काम गर्ने तरिका” हो — feedback अनुसार सुधार गरिँदै अगाडि बढ्ने।
| Key Concepts: | Sprint, Scrum, Daily Stand-ups, Backlogs |
| QA Role: | Involved from Day 1 — test, review, report continuously |
✅ Best For:
- Changing requirements
- Team collaboration and CI/CD
- QA Automation and DevOps
🔹 4. Iterative Model
Build a basic version → get feedback → refine again → repeat until complete.
📖 Nepali View:
Software टुक्रा टुक्रामा बनाइन्छ, हरेक पटक feedback अनुसार सुधार गरिन्छ।
✅ Best For:
- Long-term projects
- Risk-heavy systems needing validation
🔹 5. Spiral Model
Combines Waterfall + Iterative + Risk Analysis
Includes prototyping + feedback in every cycle.
📖 Nepali View:
Spiral भनेको risk र feedback दुवैलाई ध्यानमा राखेर software development गर्ने तरिका हो।
✅ Best For:
- High-risk projects (e.g., AI systems)
- Budget and risk control required
🔹 6. Big Bang Model
No planning, no structure — develop as needed, test as you go.
📖 Nepali View:
कुनै ठोस plan छैन — जे मन लाग्यो, develop गर्ने।
✅ Used in:
- POCs (Proof of Concepts)
- Personal projects, quick demos
❌ Not suitable for:
- Large teams or client-driven software
✅ Comparison Table
| Model | Flexibility | QA Involvement | Risk Handling | Best For |
| Waterfall | Low | Late | Low | Fixed-scope |
| V-Model | Low | Early | Low | Safety projects |
| Agile | High | Continuous | Moderate | Dynamic teams |
| Iterative | Medium | Frequent | Medium | Feedback-driven dev |
| Spiral | Medium | In each cycle | High | Risk-prone projects |
| Big Bang | High | Random | Very high | Demos, small apps |
🧩 JIRA – Agile Project Management Tool in SDLC
🔹 What is JIRA?
JIRA is a project management and issue tracking tool developed by Atlassian. It is commonly used in Agile SDLC to manage user stories, tasks, bugs, test cases, sprints, and releases.
📖 Nepali Insight:
JIRA भन्नाले team को सबै काम track गर्न प्रयोग हुने tool हो — कुन काम कसले गर्दैछ, कहिले सकिन्छ भन्ने सबै कुरा plan गर्न मिल्छ।
🔹 Core Features for QA Engineers
| Feature | Use |
| User Stories | QA ले test case linkage गर्छ |
| Tasks & Subtasks | Daily QA execution track गर्छ |
| Bug Reporting | QA ले defect details, steps, screenshots attach गर्छ |
| Sprints | QA ले story estimate गर्छ, point assign गर्छ |
| Boards (Scrum/Kanban) | Visual tracking for progress |
| Filters & Dashboards | Custom QA status reports तयार गर्न |
🔹 Example QA Workflow in JIRA (Agile SDLC)
- Backlog Grooming: QA reviews stories for test impact
- Sprint Planning: QA commits to test execution points
- During Sprint: QA writes & executes test cases
- Defect Logging: Issues are logged in JIRA
- Daily Standups: QA shares progress/blockers
- Sprint Review & Retrospective: QA provides test summary
🧠 JIRA integrates with tools like:
- Zephyr, Xray (for test case management)
- Jenkins, GitHub (for automation triggers)
✅ QA Interview Tip:
🗣️ Q: How do you use JIRA in your testing process?
✅ Answer:
“I use JIRA to track requirements, link them with test cases using Zephyr, log defects, and report QA status during sprints. I also use filters and dashboards to present test progress during reviews.”
Now your Topic 2: SDLC Models looks like this:
- All 6 models explained
- Comparison table
- QA role in each
- Plus ➕ JIRA as the standard Agile workflow too
🧩 ALM – Application Lifecycle Management Tool
🔹 What is ALM?
ALM (Application Lifecycle Management) is a complete tool or framework used to manage the entire software development process — from requirements to testing to deployment — in one centralized platform.
📖 Nepali Insight:
ALM भनेको एकदमै structured र centralized system हो, जहाँ development, testing, defect tracking, र release planning सबै एउटै system भित्र हुन्छ।
🔹 Common ALM Tools
| Tool | Vendor | Purpose |
| Micro Focus ALM/Quality Center | Micro Focus (formerly HP) | End-to-end test management |
| Azure DevOps | Microsoft | Planning, repo, test, deploy |
| IBM Rational ALM | IBM | Legacy enterprise apps |
| JIRA + Zephyr/Xray | Atlassian | Agile-based ALM integration |
🔹 Key ALM Features for QA
| Feature | Description |
| Requirement Traceability | Link test cases to business requirements |
| Test Planning & Execution | Design, assign, execute and track test runs |
| Defect Management | Log bugs with trace-back to test case and requirement |
| Version Control | Maintain history of test artifacts |
| Audit and Compliance | Useful for banking, insurance, healthcare apps |
🧠 Example Use:
- QA can run test cycles directly from ALM and report progress to business
- Automated test results from UFT or Selenium can be integrated with Micro Focus ALM
🔹 JIRA vs ALM (Comparison)
| Feature | JIRA (Agile) | ALM (Enterprise) |
| Flexibility | High | Medium |
| Agile Focus | Native | Add-on required |
| Traceability | With plugins | Built-in |
| Enterprise Use | Startups to large teams | Large regulated enterprises |
| QA Reporting | Via dashboards, filters | Full traceability with audit trail |
📌 Tip: ALM is commonly used in banking, insurance, defense, or healthcare, where traceability and compliance are critical.
✅ QA Interview Tip
🗣️ Q: Have you worked with ALM tools like HP ALM or JIRA?
✅ Answer:
“Yes, I’ve used JIRA for Agile-based QA workflows and Micro Focus ALM for structured enterprise testing. In ALM, I managed test cases, executed test runs, logged defects, and ensured full traceability back to business requirements.”
🧩 Agile Sprint and Ceremonies (Scrum Framework)
🔹 What is a Sprint?
A Sprint is a fixed period (usually 1–4 weeks) during which a team delivers a potentially shippable increment of product.
📖 Nepali Insight:
Sprint भनेको छोटो समयको development cycle हो — जसमा team ले specific features वा tasks complete गर्न target गर्छ।
| Typical Sprint Duration: | 2 weeks (standard) |
| QA Focus: | Test planning, execution, defect reporting within each sprint |
🔹 Sprint Workflow Overview
nginx
CopyEdit
Backlog → Sprint Planning → Development & Testing → Sprint Review → Retrospective
🔹 Agile Ceremonies (Scrum Events)
| Ceremony | Timing | QA Role |
| 1. Sprint Planning | Start of sprint | QA reviews stories, adds test tasks, estimates effort |
| 2. Daily Stand-up | Every day (~15 mins) | QA shares progress, blockers, upcoming work |
| 3. Sprint Review | End of sprint | QA shows tested features, discusses bugs, demo |
| 4. Sprint Retrospective | After review | QA provides feedback on what went well or not |
| 5. Backlog Grooming (Refinement) | Mid-sprint or pre-planning | QA helps clarify acceptance criteria, raise test concerns early |
🧠 Tools Used:
- JIRA: Sprint board, backlog grooming, story pointing
- Zephyr/Xray: Test case linkage
- TestRail/ALM: Test cycles and defect linkage
🔹 QA Responsibilities in a Sprint
| Phase | QA Tasks |
| Planning | Review user stories, ask questions, add test subtasks |
| Mid-sprint | Write & execute test cases, report bugs in JIRA |
| Daily Standup | Communicate blockers, retest status, test coverage |
| Review | Validate stories meet Definition of Done (DoD) |
| Retrospective | Suggest process/test improvements |
✅ Summary
| Term | Meaning | QA Relevance |
| Sprint | Time-boxed iteration | QA must complete all testing in the time box |
| Planning | Story selection, estimation | Prepare test coverage plan |
| Stand-up | Daily sync | QA updates team |
| Review | Demo tested stories | Show test results |
| Retrospective | Process improvement | Improve QA cycle for next sprint |
📘 Epic, User Stories, Test Scenarios, Test Cases – Explained Together
🔹 1. Epic
An Epic is a large feature or requirement that is too big to complete in a single sprint. It is broken down into smaller user stories.
📖 Nepali Insight:
Epic भन्नाले ठूलो काम हो — जस्तै “Customer Portal बनाउने”। त्यसलाई साना टुक्रा (User Stories) मा विभाजन गरिन्छ।
🧠 Example:
pgsql
CopyEdit
Epic: Implement Online Claims Portal
→ Story 1: As a user, I want to upload claim documents
→ Story 2: As a user, I want to view claim status
🔹 2. User Story
A User Story represents a small, functional piece of a requirement from the end user’s perspective.
Format:
pgsql
CopyEdit
As a <user role>, I want to <action> so that <goal>.
📖 Nepali Example:
“As a policyholder, I want to upload accident photos so that I can complete my claim process.”
🧠 QA’s Role:
- Understand expected behavior
- Ask questions during grooming
- Link test cases to story in JIRA/Xray/Zephyr
🔹 3. Acceptance Criteria (AC)
Acceptance Criteria define the conditions that must be met for the story to be considered complete.
📖 Nepali View:
Acceptance Criteria भन्नाले QA र Developer दुवैले बुझ्ने स्पष्ट rule हो — “पास गर्न के गर्नुपर्छ” भनेर।
🧪 Example:
makefile
CopyEdit
AC1: Photo file must not exceed 10 MB
AC2: Only JPG/PNG format should be accepted
AC3: Upload must show success message
✅ QA uses AC to write test cases and determine Pass/Fail
🔹 4. Test Scenario
A Test Scenario is a high-level condition or objective to test. It tells what to test, not how.
📖 Nepali Insight:
Scenario भन्नाले कुन-कुन तरिकाले test गर्न सकिन्छ भन्ने overview हो।
🧠 Example:
yaml
CopyEdit
Scenario 1: Verify valid photo upload
Scenario 2: Upload file exceeding size limit
Scenario 3: Try unsupported file format
🔹 5. Test Case
A Test Case is a set of predefined steps, inputs, expected results, and test data used to validate a specific feature.
📖 Nepali View:
Test Case भन्नाले clearly लेखिएको instruction हो जुन QA ले follow गरेर result verify गर्छ।
🧪 Example:
| Step | Action | Expected Result |
| 1 | Login as customer | Dashboard loads |
| 2 | Click “Upload Document” | Upload modal appears |
| 3 | Select valid image | File preview shown |
| 4 | Click Upload | Success message appears |
✅ Each Test Case should map to at least one Acceptance Criteria or Scenario
🔹 6. Test Steps
These are the exact steps inside a test case, one by one, that the QA performs during execution.
📌 Well-written steps ensure any tester can execute the test without confusion.
🔹 7. Test Data
Test Data is the input used during test execution:
- Usernames
- Policy numbers
- Claim IDs
- File samples
📖 Nepali Tip:
Test Data realistic हुनुपर्छ — जस्तो production जस्तै, तर sensitive नभएको।
🧠 Store it in Excel, SQL DB, or data files integrated with automation tools.
🔹 Full QA Mapping Example (Claim Portal)
| Element | Example |
| Epic | Online Claim Submission |
| Story | Upload supporting documents |
| AC | File < 10MB, valid types |
| Scenario | Upload valid/invalid file |
| Test Case | Step-by-step action to test file upload |
| Test Steps | Click → Upload → Validate message |
| Test Data | Accident1.jpg, Claim12345, User: John Doe |
✅ Summary Table
| Term | Meaning | QA Use |
| Epic | Large feature | Organizes stories |
| User Story | User perspective need | QA starts test planning |
| AC | Completion rules | QA uses to write test cases |
| Test Scenario | What to test | Basis for test cases |
| Test Case | How to test | Repeatable validation |
| Test Steps | Exact actions | Executable instructions |
| Test Data | Input values | Drive test coverage |
📘 Topic 3: STLC – Software Testing Life Cycle
🔹 What is STLC?
STLC is a systematic and structured process that defines the various stages of software testing — from requirement analysis to test closure.
📖 Nepali Insight:
STLC भनेको testing मात्र केन्द्रित life cycle हो — कुन चरणमा के गरिन्छ भन्ने स्पष्ट चरणहरू हुन्छन्।
While SDLC focuses on the full software development, STLC focuses only on testing activities.
🔹 STLC Phases Overview
| Phase | Description |
| 1. Requirement Analysis | के-कसको testing गर्नुपर्छ भनेर बुझ्ने चरण |
| 2. Test Planning | Scope, strategy, resource, tool decide गर्ने |
| 3. Test Case Design | Test cases/scenarios तयार गर्ने |
| 4. Test Environment Setup | Testing को लागि सही environment तयार गर्ने |
| 5. Test Execution | Test cases चलाउने र defect report गर्ने |
| 6. Defect Reporting | Bug tracking tools (JIRA, ALM) मा issue लेख्ने |
| 7. Test Closure | Final reporting, documentation, lessons learned |
🔹 Phase-wise Detail with QA Responsibilities
1️⃣ Requirement Analysis
- Understand the functional & non-functional requirements
- Ask questions to resolve ambiguities
🧠 QA Tasks:
- Analyze BRD (Business Requirements Document)
- Identify testable items
- Raise clarifications
📖 Nepali View:
QA ले बुझ्नुपर्छ के-के test गर्नुपर्ने हो — यदि केही थाहा छैन भने तुरुन्तै सोध्नुपर्ने।
2️⃣ Test Planning
- Define the scope, objective, testing strategy, and tools
- Estimate effort, timeline, and assign roles
🧠 QA Tasks:
- Write Test Plan Document
- Identify entry/exit criteria
- Choose tools: Selenium, TestNG, Postman, etc.
📌 Example: Testing login feature in Sprint 1 — plan includes manual + automation.
3️⃣ Test Case Design
- Write detailed test cases or scenarios with steps and expected results
🧠 QA Tasks:
- Map test cases to requirements
- Apply boundary value, equivalence partitioning
- Peer review test cases
📖 Nepali View:
Test case ले सबै behavior cover गर्नुपर्छ — सही, गलत, edge case सबै कुरा।
4️⃣ Test Environment Setup
- Prepare the system, tools, test data, and credentials
🧠 QA Tasks:
- Deploy app on test server
- Get DB access
- Configure test user roles
📌 Tools: Jenkins (CI), BrowserStack, Postman, SQL, JIRA
5️⃣ Test Execution
- Execute test cases (manual or automated)
- Log pass/fail status, compare actual vs expected
🧠 QA Tasks:
- Run tests
- Report bugs with steps, screenshots
- Track execution status
📖 Nepali Tip:
Issue पाएको बेला तुरुन्त report गर्नु, कसरी fail भयो भन्ने step राम्रोसँग लेख्नु।
6️⃣ Defect Reporting & Retesting
- Submit issues in JIRA, ALM, Azure DevOps, etc.
- QA retests once bug is fixed
🧠 Defect Details:
- Summary
- Steps to Reproduce
- Actual vs Expected Result
- Screenshot or video
📌 Status flow:
New → Open → In Progress → Resolved → Retested → Closed/Rejected
7️⃣ Test Closure
- Evaluate test coverage and test result summary
- Conduct closure meeting
- Archive test artifacts
🧠 QA Tasks:
- Write test summary report
- Provide bug trends
- Document lessons learned
📖 Nepali View:
Sprint/testing सकिएपछि feedback दिने, reporting गर्ने, र documentation मिलाउने चरण हो।
✅ Summary Table
| Phase | What QA Does |
| Requirement Analysis | Study, clarify scope |
| Test Planning | Estimate, tools, strategy |
| Test Case Design | Create & review test cases |
| Environment Setup | Prepare test environment |
| Test Execution | Run test cases, log results |
| Defect Reporting | Report bugs, retest fixes |
| Test Closure | Report summary, lessons learned |
🧪 Real-World Tip:
In Agile, STLC is repeated in every sprint. Each Sprint has mini-STLC within it.