The test activity involves validating the system through manual and automated means to ensure that the features implemented meet the business requirements and that quality benchmarks are achieved.  This can be done at multiple levels of granularity using different techniques.

Testing is always directly related to construction as the software must be built before it can be verified.  That said, in iterative environments with good build procedures, verification should begin happen before the construction is complete. Depending on the project, test construction can begin during the definition or performed as part of construction. 

Although many organizations directly recognize a quality assurance role supporting this activity, other individuals such as business users or product managers may support this activity through acceptance testing.  The test activity is typically a gating factor to releasing the application.

Sub Activities

Although most organizations will have some variants, testing activities typically include the following:

• Running manual tests.
• Running automated tests.
• Investigating test failures.
• Logging defects for repair.