Scenario Matrix Template

About

A Scenario Matrix Template for System Testing organizes and tracks test cases that validate the entire software system as a whole. Unlike unit or integration testing, system testing verifies the complete, integrated application against functional and non-functional requirements in an environment that closely resembles production.

This matrix ensures:

• All end-to-end workflows are covered

• Both functional correctness and non-functional attributes (performance, security, usability, etc.) are validated

• Dependencies such as databases, external services, APIs, and middleware are tested together

• Realistic user scenarios are executed to detect issues that could occur in live usage

System testing scenarios often cover business workflows, user role permissions, data integrity, error handling, and compliance checks.

Template

Scenario ID	Scenario Description	Preconditions	Test Data / Inputs	Steps to Execute	Expected Result	Priority	Remarks
ST-01	Validate end-to-end business workflow	Full system deployed	Valid user credentials and test data	Perform complete business transaction from start to finish	Transaction completes successfully with correct outputs	High	Core business validation
ST-02	Role-based access control check	Users with different roles	User login credentials	Attempt to access restricted functionality	Access granted or denied according to role permissions	High	Ensures security compliance
ST-03	Data integrity after workflow execution	Database connected	Valid transaction inputs	Execute transaction and verify data in DB	All data fields correctly stored and linked	High	Verifies backend data consistency
ST-04	Error handling in end-to-end flow	Full system running	Invalid input for process	Execute process with invalid data	System shows appropriate error message without failure	Medium	Tests robustness in real-world cases
ST-05	Multi-device and browser compatibility	Test environment supports multiple devices/browsers	Supported device/browser list	Execute workflow on each combination	Application works consistently across devices/browsers	Medium	Ensures user experience uniformity
ST-06	Performance of complete workflow	Load testing environment	High-volume transactions	Execute transactions under load	Workflow completes within SLA	Medium	Measures end-to-end performance
ST-07	External service dependency check	External API sandbox available	Valid API requests	Trigger workflow involving external service	Workflow completes successfully with correct API interaction	High	Detects integration issues in full system
ST-08	System security and vulnerability check	Security testing tools ready	Authenticated/unauthenticated requests	Run penetration and vulnerability tests	No exploitable security gaps found	Medium	Part of non-functional validation
ST-09	Recovery from failure	System with failover setup	Induce system component failure	Execute workflow during failure	System continues operation or recovers gracefully	Low	Validates resilience
ST-10	Compliance and legal checks	Compliance guidelines available	Transactions with regulated data	Execute workflow with compliance data	System adheres to regulations (GDPR, HIPAA, etc.)	High	Required for industry compliance