What is a Test Charter?

Exploratory testing is a software testing approach that emphasizes learning about a product through exploration and experimentation, rather than following predefined steps, making it both flexible and creative but often perceived as time-consuming. To address its challenges, test charters are proposed as a guiding tool that helps structure exploratory testing sessions by outlining objectives, scope, resources, time constraints, approach, and expected outcomes, thus providing a balance between direction and flexibility. While test charters can help organize the testing process, they can also present difficulties such as creating overly broad objectives, lacking detailed guidance, setting restrictive time constraints, and achieving the right balance between flexibility and structure. Despite these challenges, test charters are essential in maintaining focus and ensuring comprehensive test coverage, facilitating better communication and collaboration among testing teams.