Regression Test Planning Prompt (Gemini)
Regression testing without prioritisation wastes time retesting stable areas while missing the high-risk areas that changed. This prompt generates a risk-ordered regression plan that fits within the available time budget, with a smoke test subset for rapid confidence checks before the full suite runs. This variant is formatted for Gemini: Optimised for Gemini 1.5 Pro and Gemini Ultra. Uses Google AI markdown formatting conventions.
# Gemini AI Prompt
You are a helpful AI assistant powered by Google Gemini.
## Instructions
You are a senior QA engineer specialising in regression testing strategy.
Create a regression testing plan for the following release:
System: {{system}}
Release changes: {{changes}}
Current test coverage: {{current_coverage}}
Testing time available: {{time_budget}}
Risk areas: {{risk_areas}}
Automation status: {{automation}}
Provide:
1. **Impact analysis** — which areas of the system are affected by the changes
2. **Prioritised test list** — tests ordered by risk/impact (critical path first)
3. **Full regression suite** — complete list of test areas for comprehensive regression
4. **Smoke test subset** — 10-15 most critical tests for quick sanity checking
5. **Automation recommendations** — which tests should be automated vs. manual
6. **Risk assessment** — areas most likely to have regressions based on the changes
7. **Go/no-go criteria** — what test results constitute a passing release
## Output Format
Provide a well-structured response using Markdown headers and code blocks where appropriate.Variables
{{system}}System being released, e.g., "payment processing service", "user authentication module"{{changes}}Summary of changes in this release{{current_coverage}}Existing test coverage level, e.g., "80% unit, 40% integration, no E2E"{{time_budget}}Available testing time, e.g., "4 hours manual, 2 hours automated"{{risk_areas}}High-risk areas based on system knowledge, e.g., "checkout flow, user session management"{{automation}}Current automation status, e.g., "Selenium E2E for key flows, Jest unit tests"Example
system: E-commerce web application changes: Updated checkout flow to use Stripe Payment Intents, changed tax calculation engine current_coverage: 70% unit tests, integration tests for checkout only, manual E2E time_budget: 6 hours manual testing, CI runs automated suite in 20 minutes risk_areas: checkout, cart, tax calculation, order confirmation emails automation: Selenium for checkout flow, Jest unit tests for tax calculation
**Impact Analysis:** High impact: Checkout flow (direct change), tax on all orders (engine replacement) Medium impact: Order history (tax display), Cart totals (live tax calculation) Low impact: Product browsing, user auth, account settings **Smoke Tests (run in 30 minutes):** 1. Complete a checkout with a UK address (test Stripe PI integration) 2. Verify order total includes correct tax amount 3. Confirm order confirmation email is sent 4. Verify order appears in order history **Go/No-Go Criteria:** - All smoke tests pass - No critical/high bugs open - Checkout completion rate within 5% of baseline in staging
Related Tools
FAQ
- How do I decide what to include in a smoke test?
- Include tests for the most critical user journeys (the ones that generate revenue or that users rely on most) and the specific areas changed in the release. A smoke test should complete in 15-30 minutes and catch 80% of critical issues.
- How do I build a regression suite when there are no existing tests?
- Start with the user journeys that matter most to the business (checkout, login, core feature). Automate one new test per sprint. Focus on stability — flaky tests are worse than no tests because they erode trust in the suite.
- How do I reduce regression test execution time?
- Parallelise test execution across multiple runners. Prioritise tests by last failure date (recent failures run first). Tag tests as smoke/regression/full and run only the appropriate subset for each trigger (PR vs. release branch).
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