Session 1.8 - STLC & SDLC Alignment

Module 1: Introduction to Software Testing | Duration: 1 hour

Learning Objectives
  • Map testing activities (STLC) to software lifecycle phases (SDLC).
  • Define gates, roles, and deliverables that keep quality visible end‑to‑end.
  • Plan integration points that prevent late surprises and rework.

Why Align STLC with SDLC

Alignment ensures testing is proactive, not an end‑stage bottleneck. Quality signals flow continuously from requirements to operations, enabling earlier risk detection and faster, safer delivery.

Phase Mapping

Reqts Design Build Test Ops Test Planning Test Design Env & Data Execution Monitoring

Each SDLC phase has a corresponding STLC activity to prepare, validate, and learn.

RACI, Gates & Deliverables

  • RACI: Define who is Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed for key QA activities.
  • Gates: Entry/exit criteria per phase (e.g., design review sign‑offs, test data readiness).
  • Deliverables: Strategy, risk register, cases/charters, automation suites, reports, retrospectives.

Integration Points

Code Reviews & Contracts: Embed testability and acceptance criteria early.
CI/CD: Shift‑left unit/contract tests; shift‑right synthetic/observability checks.
Data & Environments: Versioned test data, ephemeral envs, parity policies.
Triage: Shared dashboards; SLAs for defect response.

Risks & Mitigations

  • Late test design: Move planning to requirements/design; adopt living strategies.
  • Environment drift: Use IaC and pipelines to recreate consistent test envs.
  • Automation flakiness: Isolate layers, add robust waits, track flake rate.

Anti‑patterns

“Test at the end”: Causes rework and opaque risks.
“Coverage worship”: High numbers without risk alignment.
“One‑team owns quality”: Diffuses responsibility.

Alignment Checklist

  • Risks identified and linked to tests; exit criteria defined.
  • Environments/data prepared and automated; access documented.
  • Dashboards/reporting wired into CI/CD; owners acknowledged.

Summary & Assignment

Quality becomes continuous when STLC activities pair with every SDLC phase. The outcome is fewer surprises, faster feedback, and higher confidence at release.

Assignment: For your current project, create a one‑page RACI + gates map linking SDLC phases to STLC artifacts. Highlight two integration risks and their mitigations.
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