Skip to content

Smoke Testing (Pre-Production)

← Previous: Integration Testing | Back to Testing Workflow | Next: System Testing →

Before full system testing begins, a smoke testing phase is performed to ensure that the deployed build and environment are stable and suitable for further testing activities.

The goal of smoke testing is to quickly identify blocking issues that could prevent further testing of the system.

Objectives

  • Verify build deployment success
  • Validate critical functionality is operational
  • Identify blocking issues quickly
  • Confirm environment stability
  • Determine readiness for system testing

Testing Environment

Smoke testing is performed in the Pre-Production environment after deployment of the scope of tasks planned for the release.

QA Activities

flowchart LR

A[Deployment] --> B[Scope Verification]
B --> C[Smoke Testing]
C --> D[Workflow Validation]
D --> E[Integration Check]
E --> F[Go / No-Go Decision]

    style A fill:#E3F2FD,color:#000000
    style B fill:#E8F5E9,color:#000000
    style C fill:#FFF3E0,color:#000000
    style D fill:#E1F5FE,color:#000000
    style E fill:#FFCDD2,color:#000000
During this phase QA performs the following activities:

Scope Verification

  • verifying that the full scope of tasks planned for the release is deployed to the environment
  • ensuring that all intended changes are included in the build
  • confirming readiness of the deployed scope for further testing

Smoke Test Execution - executing automated smoke tests (if implemented) to validate critical system paths - executing predefined smoke test suites to verify that the application is operational - validating that the application loads and initializes correctly - testing critical system modules and core functionality - verifying basic system operations

Critical Workflow Validation - validating that core user workflows are accessible - testing essential features and key paths - verifying critical integrations function - confirming basic user operations work

Integration Verification - confirming that essential integrations are operational - validating connectivity to external services - verifying API endpoints are accessible - checking database connectivity

Blocking Issue Identification - identifying blocking issues that could prevent further testing activities - documenting critical failures - reporting environment or deployment issues - escalating blockers to appropriate teams

Smoke Test Coverage

Smoke tests typically cover:

  • Application Launch – application loads successfully
  • Authentication – login/logout functionality works
  • Navigation – main navigation is accessible
  • Core Features – critical features are operational
  • Data Operations – basic CRUD operations work
  • Integrations – essential services respond
  • UI Rendering – key pages display correctly

Entry Criteria

Before smoke testing begins:

  • Build deployed to Pre-Production environment
  • Deployment confirmation received
  • Smoke test suite prepared and accessible
  • Environment access verified

Quality Gates

  • All smoke test cases are executed and results are documented
  • Critical business flows are verified and work correctly
  • No blocking defects remain for transition to the next stage
  • All identified issues are documented and communicated to the team
  • Go/No-Go decision made for system testing: if no blocking defects are present, testing proceeds

Outcome

The outcome of this phase typically includes:

  • confirmation that the build is stable enough for further testing
  • identification of blocking issues affecting the system or environment
  • readiness to proceed with system testing
  • Go/No-Go decision for continuing testing activities

Possible Results

Pass – Build is stable, system testing can proceed
Fail – Blocking issues identified, build requires fixes before testing continues
Blocked – Environment or deployment issues prevent testing

Success Criteria

  • Smoke tests execute successfully
  • No blocking issues identified
  • Critical functionality operational
  • Environment stable and accessible
  • QA team cleared to proceed with system testing

← Previous: Final Feature Validation | Back to Testing Workflow | Next: System Testing →