Test Planning FAQ

What Are the Different Phase Types in a Test Plan?

Test plans include three main phase types. Onboarding prepares participants by introducing them to the project and platform. Engagement collects feedback and insights through structured activities. Closure wraps up testing, finalizes feedback, and manages incentives or test unit returns.

How Do I Extend a Phase? Can I Extend a Phase That Has Already Ended?

First, check whether the phase has already expired. Once a phase ends, its dates can't be adjusted. If the phase is still active or hasn't started yet, you can change the dates from the Modify phase menu.

1. From within the project, click Management > Test plan.

2. Click the name of the phase you want to adjust.

3. Update the start and end dates.

What Happens If a Phase Expires Before I Finish Gathering Feedback?

You can move features from an expired phase to an active one using the Move option in Test Planning. Two options are available.

Continue testing moves the feature to the new phase with all previously collected data intact. Users who already completed the feature won't be asked to do it again. Use this when you want more data on a feature that didn't get enough participation.

Retest moves the feature and resets it for users.

How Does Ted Assist Testers During Each Phase?

During Onboarding, Ted sends automated emails to help participants get acquainted with the project and complete required setup steps. During Engagement, Ted sends reminders about incomplete activities, provides progress updates, and encourages participants to focus on areas needing more feedback. During Closure, Ted sends a final summary email detailing each participant's completed activities and thanking them for their participation.

What Is the Regression Feature and When Should I Enable It?

The Regression feature lets participants re-test specific features across multiple phases to verify that previously reported issues have been resolved. Enable it when you expect ongoing improvements that require validation across phases.

What Timezone Does the Phase Schedule Follow?

The phase schedule follows the timezone set on the project's Project settings page.

What Are Phaseless Features and When Should I Use Them?

Phaseless features let participants submit feedback on areas not tied to a specific testing phase. Phaseless features are undirected, users will never see any activity text or be presented with them directly. Phaseless features will simply be made available as an option to select in the Feature dropdown when creating feedback tickets. Use them for collecting general product feedback or testing broad aspects of the product throughout the project lifecycle.

What Are the Feature Value Multipliers and How Do They Work?

Feature value multipliers control how feedback on a given feature is weighted in reporting. The available values are: None (0), Very Low (0.5), Low (0.75), Neutral (1), High (1.5), and Very High (2).

💡 Ted Tip: Start all features at Neutral, then adjust based on each feature's relative importance to your test.

How Many Features Should I Include Per Phase?

Aim for roughly 2 to 3 hours of focused testing per week. This gives participants enough to engage with meaningfully without becoming overwhelmed.

What Is the AI Test Plan and How Does It Help Me?

The AI test plan uses your existing product documents, project details, and custom instructions to generate a structured, balanced test plan automatically. It creates a set of features and phases tailored to your testing needs, helping you get set up quickly with comprehensive coverage of key product areas. Read more about AI test plan generation.

Can I Export My Test Plan?

No. Centercode doesn't currently support exporting test plans.

Can I Reset New User Features for Users to Take Them Again?

No. Once a user completes all available New User features, they're permanently marked as having completed them in that project and won't see them again. Adding new New User features after a user has been marked as complete won't prompt them to take the new additions.