Do you know what managers want in a Test Strategy?
If not, understand it now.
Have you presented a test strategy ?
And felt like it didn’t make an impact to manager?
I can understand.
Here is what I realized:
A test strategy is not just for testers. It’s for managers too. If it doesn’t address what they care about, you are at risk of missing it out.
Few years ago, I worked on a test strategy.
Made a document.
I thought it was spot on. It defined the approach, testing scope and tools we would use.
But when I presented it to my manager, I got unexpected feedback.
“How does this strategy help us reduce risks and support the business?”, he said.
That was a wake-up call for me.
My strategy doc had all the details of what we would do.
But it didn’t answer “why” it mattered or “how” it supported business goals.
I went back and restructured it:
I prioritized high-risk features to focus testing
Scoped to the product’s critical features
Made document clear and actionable for stakeholders
I again presented it.
Response was different. My manager not only approved the strategy, he trusted the testing process.
What I learned?
1. Clarity on Risk:
Managers want to know:
👉 What risks are we mitigating?
👉 How will the strategy prevent potential issues?
A strategy that highlights high risk areas and your plan to handle them builds confidence.
2. Alignment with Business Goals:
Testing isn’t just about finding bugs.
Managers care about how your strategy supports the product’s success.
Better to have idea about:
👉 If you testing most critical user journeys?
👉 Is the strategy aligned with release priorities?
3. Efficiency and Focus:
Managers know resources are limited.
They want to see:
👉 Are you focusing on what matters most?
👉 Is your approach balancing automation, manual testing, and exploratory testing?
A clear strategy that prioritizes impactful efforts shows a lot.
It shows if you are working with the bigger picture in mind.
4. Confidence in Delivery:
A great strategy is not just a document.
It doesn’t just map out testing process.
It reassures stakeholders that:
👉 Testing won’t delay the release
👉 Picture about the quality status
👉 Risks are under control
Trust is important.
A poorly framed strategy doc can make managers feel like testing is a black box.
If there are no clear priorities, alignment and outcomes, they may question whether testing is helping or slowing things down.
They may think that testing is overhead.
A strong strategy builds trust.
Because it shows that testing is deliberate, efficient and essential to product.
TL;DR:
1. Managers want strategies that:
2. Highlight risks and mitigation plans
3. Align testing with business priorities
4. Show efficient use of time and resources
5. Build confidence in quality and delivery timelines
PS:Have you created test strategy document?
#testing #strategy #leadership #growth