A Free Jira Test Plan Template, Plus Everything You Need to Know to Make it Work

What is a Jira Test Plan Template, and When Do You Need it?

 

A test plan is a document that helps you structure the software testing process. It outlines the main principles and testing approaches, defines the scope, and records the responsibilities of everyone involved.

It helps QA teams organize their work and align expectations. Test plans are especially useful for large organizations that have dozens of people on their QA teams. For example, banks and other financial institutions, large online shopping platforms, and global retail chains. 

A test plan enables new team members to quickly understand how the process is run. It’s also useful when passing information on the project from one QA team to another. Furthermore, test plans can serve reporting purposes as they document the scope, schedule, and resource allocation. 

Smaller teams don’t necessarily need to create a test plan for each iteration. However, they may need one when releasing large features or new products.

 

A Jira test plan template is a test plan organized as a standalone Jira work item or a set of multiple work items. Such a template contains the test plan structure and standard blocks of information that can be reused (for example, testing strategy).

You need a test plan template as a base when writing your own test plan. You will also need it if, for example, you want to have a test plan documented for each sprint separately. 

You can generate a new test plan from the template each sprint, only updating the information that changes. This will be the sprint number, scope, start and end dates, etc. Other information, such as tools and approaches, can be reused. During the sprint, the test plan can be further updated with sprint-specific data. Link related tasks and specific test cases, tag responsible people, and fill in other details. Once the sprint is finished, this work item can be left for reporting purposes.

Why do Teams Maintain Their Test Plan in Jira?

Here are some of the common reasons:

• Reducing context switching between multiple tools
• A single source of truth – it’s easier to manage everything in one place
• Standardized documentation and reporting
• Improving transparency and visibility for the team and stakeholders
• Reusing a test plan in Jira as a template saves time and effort

What Does a Jira Test Plan Template Consist of?

In terms of structural elements, a test plan in Jira can be comprised of several parts:

• A custom Jira work type, Test Plan – a basis for your template and all the work items you create from that template.
• Work item description – this is where you can place most of the information, such as the scope, types of testing, and tools.
• Child work items and linked items – depending on your approach, you may decide to create dedicated work items inside your Test Plan work item. These child items can contain specific sections of your test plan, such as Strategy or Tools. Additionally, you can link work items with reusable test cases and scenarios (for example, for regression testing). Once you generate a new test plan from your template, you will be able to link the Jira tickets specific to that iteration.
• Checklists with criteria. One of the standard parts of a test plan is entry and exit criteria. It’s convenient to include them as checklists located inside your Test Plan work item. In this case, the responsible person can quickly verify the criteria and check off those that are already met. 

Additionally, a Jira test plan template can contain variables for changing values. This is helpful, for example, if you generate a new Test Plan from your template every sprint. In this case, you can use variables for values like sprint number or start and end dates. Then, it will be easy to update them automatically.

However, not all these elements are mandatory. Which ones you need depends on how exactly you want to use your test plan. If it’s meant, among other goals, for documentation and reporting, you will likely have a larger and more detailed document. Then, it may be useful to organize it as a Test Plan work item with child work items (tasks, subtasks, test cases for recurring regression testing, etc.)

At the same time, smaller organizations may prefer to keep their test plan brief and actionable. It can be just a custom work type with linked test cases assigned to a responsible QA. Some of these test cases may be reusable, while some may not.

In its simplest form, a Jira test plan template can also be a work item with the main content placed in the description. 

 

For all those cases, you can use Smart Templates by Titan Apps. This solution allows you to save any stand-alone work item or a whole work item hierarchy as a reusable template. It preserves all the parent and child items, their descriptions, assignees, custom fields, and checklists. Additionally, it supports variables.

What Information Should a Test Plan Include?

A Jira test plan template typically includes several standard sections that outline various aspects of managing the testing process. These sections may include:

1. Introduction – a summary providing the context and a brief project overview
2. Scope – lists the in-scope and out-of-scope features, clearly stating what should be tested and what will be omitted
3. Quality objectives – describes what should be achieved as a result of the testing process
4. Testing approach – explains how testing should be organized, in general. For example, it can specify how a team’s work is arranged (Scrum, Waterfall) or define how test automation is used 
5. Roles and responsibilities – a table documenting which features will be tested by which QA. It also lists responsibilities for other roles, such as QA Lead and Project Manager.
6. Entry and exit criteria – preconditions for starting the testing process and requirements for completing it
7. Strategy – outlines the process of preparing and reviewing Test Cases and Test Matrix, accessing test data, executing Test Cases, and so on.
8. Testing types – defines what types of testing will be employed. For instance, GUI testing, functional testing, performance testing, and so on.
9. Tools – lists the apps used for Test case creation, tracking, and management, as well as solutions for test execution and test reporting. 
10. Environment requirements – defines the test environment needs, such as browsers and OS versions. Can also include safety compliance requirements
11.  Schedule  – this can be simply planned start and end dates, a week-by-week timeline, or a detailed schedule stating the time window for every type of testing

Apart from this, a Jira test plan template can contain such optional sections as:

• business objectives 
• risk assessment information
• extra requirements
• bug severity criteria
• KPIs
• links to documentation
• other resources

Some parts of a test plan can frequently change, such as scope, team responsibilities, and schedule. At the same time, other parts rarely change within one project and, therefore, can be fully reused in a template. For instance, strategy, types of testing, and tools.

A Free Jira Test Plan Template by Titan Apps

Copy this template and paste it into your Jira work item. Then, use Smart Templates to save it as a template in Jira for future use.

1. Introduction

[Summarize project and testing goals]
[Include product/module name, purpose, and brief context]

2. Scope

In-Scope:
[List features/components to be tested]
Out-of-Scope:
[List items excluded from testing]

3. Quality Objectives

[Define target quality goals]
[e.g., pass rate, defect thresholds, compliance needs]

4. Testing Approach

[Describe how testing will be organized]
[Mention methodology, automation use, and manual testing scope]

5. Roles and Responsibilities

Role	Name	Responsibilities
QA Engineer 1	[Name]	[Write and execute test cases]
QA Engineer 2	[Name]	[Write and execute test cases]
QA Engineer 3	[Name]	[Write and execute test cases]
QA Lead	[Name]	[Approve test cases, oversee execution]
Project Manager	[Name]	[Coordinate timelines, sign-off]

6. Strategy

[Outline testing process]
[Include test case creation, review, data access, execution, defect logging, reporting]

7. Testing Types

[Specify testing types]
[e.g., functional, regression, performance, cross-browser, security]

8. Tools

[List tools for test management, execution, reporting]
[e.g., Jira, Smart Checklist, automation tools]

9. Environment Requirements

[Define required browsers, OS versions, devices, data sets]

10. Schedule

[Add the planned timeline or a start and end date]

Entry and Exit Criteria for a Jira Test Plan Template

As you may need to add these criteria separately as checklists, we provide them here for your convenience. 

Copy the entry and exit criteria from the block below. Then, use Smart Checklist for Jira to add them to your template. Additionally, you can tag the responsible teammates in the checklist, set custom statuses, deadlines, and include links to useful resources.

Step-by-Step Instructions For Creating a Jira Test Plan Template

In its default setup, Jira doesn’t offer functionality for creating and managing templates. However, this can be done with a third-party solution. Let’s see how to create a Jira test plan template with Smart Templates for Jira.

1. Create a new Jira Work Type – Test Plan. Although technically, you can keep a test plan in any epic or task, it’s still recommended to have a dedicated work type (issue type) for this. It will be more convenient to manage it, add requirements and custom fields, and search it with JQL.
2. Install Smart Templates for Jira from the Atlassian marketplace. The app allows you to save your work item (or a set of work items) with your test plan as a reusable template. All task descriptions, fields, and child work items will be preserved.
3. Open a Test Plan work item and add all the content you need: a summary, description text with the main sections, child work items, assignees, and so on. Also, link your test cases to the test plan to include them in the reusable template. If not, you can add them later, after you have saved the template. 
4. Draft entry and exit criteria or copy them from the template we provided in the section above. Then, add them to your test plan as checklists. You can do this with the help of Smart Checklist for Jira – simply paste the criteria in the Smart Checklist section of your work item. 
5. Click “Save structure as a template” in the Smart Templates section of your test plan. Name your template, and save it. Once done, you will be able to generate new work items from that template whenever you need to.

Optionally, you can add variables to your template. They allow you to change dynamic values easily – for instance, the sprint number or scope summary/feature name. As a result, one Jira test plan template can be applicable to multiple iterations. 

To add variables, open the Smart Templates tab of your Jira project. Then, select your template from the list -> click three dots -> Edit -> Variables. There, provide the names for your variables and select their type. In the example below, we add {{Number}} with the variable type “Text”. You can also add a user picker and single-choice and multiple-choice select lists. 

When a new issue (work item) is created from this template, you will see a pop-up prompting you to type in the sprint number. Please visit this Variables Guide for more details.

Test Plan Example Based on Our Template

Here’s an example of what a ready test plan can look like, once you add project-specific details to our free Jira test plan template.

Jira Test Plan Example – Project X: Checkout Functionality

1. Introduction

This test plan covers testing for the new checkout flow in Project X, aimed at improving user experience and reducing cart abandonment. We need to ensure that the checkout process is functional, user-friendly, and performs well across devices and payment methods.

2. Scope
In-Scope:

• Cart management
• Payment gateway integration (Credit Card, PayPal, Apple Pay)
• Promo code and discount functionality
• Cross-browser compatibility

Out-of-Scope:

• User login
• Admin panel functionality
• Legacy payment methods

3. Quality Objectives

• 95% pass rate for functional test cases
• No unresolved high-severity defects before release
• Confirmed compliance with accessibility standards

4. Testing Approach
We will use an Agile approach with both manual and automated testing.

• Scrum process with two-week sprints
• Regression and smoke testing automated using Cypress
• Manual exploratory testing for new features

5. Roles and Responsibilities

Role	Name	Responsibilities
QA Engineer 1	John Doe	Test cart management and payment gateway functionality.
QA Engineer 2	Jane Smith	Test promo code, checkout flow, and cross-browser compatibility.
QA Lead	Sarah Lee	Oversee execution and ensure test coverage.
Project Manager	Emily Brown	Manage timelines and sign-off.

6. Strategy

This strategy defines the process for testing Project X: Checkout Functionality. It begins with test case creation, where scenarios will be based on feature requirements and reviewed for accuracy. Once approved, the test environment will be set up, and testing will begin.

• Test Case Creation: Test cases will be written for each key user flow (cart management, checkout, payment processing) and any potential edge cases (e.g., promo code issues). 
• Approvals: The test cases will be reviewed by the QA Lead to ensure they align with the functional requirements.
• Test Execution: Manual testing will be conducted based on the prioritized test cases. Automated tests will be run for regression and cross-browser compatibility.
• Defect Logging: Any defects found will be logged in Jira, with severity levels assigned (critical, high, low). Critical defects will be handled immediately, while others will be reviewed based on their impact.
• Reporting: A daily status report will be shared with stakeholders, summarizing completed tests, identified defects, and progress toward test completion.

7. Testing Types

• Functional Testing: Ensure checkout works as expected.
• Regression Testing: Confirm no issues in previous features.
• Cross-Browser Testing: Ensure compatibility across Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.
• Performance Testing: Test for load handling during peak traffic.
• Security Testing: Ensure payment process security.

8. Tools

• Jira: For test case management and defect tracking.
• Selenium: For automated tests.
• BrowserStack: For cross-browser testing.
• JMeter: For performance testing.

9. Environment Requirements

• Browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari (latest versions)
• OS: Windows 10, macOS, iOS, Android
• Test Data: Pre-configured test users and payment details.

10. Schedule

• Test Case Creation: October 1–3
• Functional Testing: October  4–7
• Cross-Browser & Performance Testing: October 8–9
• Final Sign-Off: October 10

Best Practices for Writing a Jira Test Plan Template

If you have been wondering how to create a test plan that is relevant and useful, here are some tips to help you. 

• Avoid vagueness, make it actionable. There’s no prize for doing everything by the book. Decide what will work best for your project, team size, and approaches. Some sections feel unnecessary? Then it’s better to skip them than fill them with vague sentences that don’t convey any useful information.
• Collaborate with the stakeholders during the Jira test plan template preparation. This is important to align objectives and expectations, and make the template helpful for everyone involved. 
• Determine test deliverables. These could include test case documents, defect reports, test execution logs, or a summary report with coverage details. Make sure to specify the format, content, and timeline for each deliverable. It’s especially important if your team works for an external client.
• Update the test plan template when something changes. Ask your team for feedback or discuss improvements during a retrospective session. This will help you keep the template relevant.
• Use Jira Test Case Templates to save time and further streamline the testing process. It makes sense to document recurring scenarios (for example, for regression testing) and include them in your Jira test plan template. 

Testing is a crucial part of the software development process, so it’s important to organize it effectively. Using a Jira test plan template can help you achieve this goal. It increases transparency, speeds up onboarding, and provides a shared reference point.

Even though Jira is not a dedicated test management tool, it can still be a good choice for this purpose. Maintaining a test plan in a Jira issue (work item) allows you to keep everything in one place. You can link test cases and bugs, track testing progress, and make your test plan a relevant living document integrated into your workflow.

Article by Olga Cheban

Content Writer at TitanApps. I love it when my writing helps people find smarter ways to manage their time. Whether for individual professionals or large companies, even small changes in managing daily tasks can have a huge impact. My goal is to share practical advice that promotes efficiency and facilitates growth.