What it does
Writes the top tier of the test-documentation hierarchy: testing objectives expressed as ISO/IEC 25010 quality characteristics, the value of testing, guiding principles, mandated standards, and how value is measured. It states intent (WHY/WHAT) only and deliberately delegates the HOW to the Test Strategy.
When to use it
When establishing org-wide QA governance, or yearly review of the policy. It is long-lived and should rarely change.
Prerequisites
qa.config.yml (run /qa:qa-init first) — binds paths, tooling, gates, risk_areas, team, stack.
Output
ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-2 Organizational Test Policy -> <paths.docs_dir>/TEST-POLICY.md.
Mechanics
How it works
- Config guard: stop and route to /qa:qa-init if config is missing
- Resolve scope to the whole org (or a supplied product line / regime)
- Load the policy template and follow its sections in order
- Produce purpose/scope, objectives as 25010 characteristics, value of testing, principles, roles, mandated standards, testware governance, measurement, revision history
- Keep all HOW out — delegate process/technique/tooling detail to the Strategy
- Write TEST-POLICY.md to the docs dir
Why it works
The theory behind it
The Policy is the highest tier of the ISTQB/ISO 29119 document hierarchy (policy -> strategy -> plan). Separating WHY (policy) from HOW (strategy) is the standard's own layering; quality goals tie to gates and coverage so value is measured, not asserted (Principle 1).
ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-2 · CTAL-TM · Test Management (Expert)
Example
See it in use
> /qa:test-policy✓ Correct when It states org-level testing objectives/principles above any single project (not a per-release plan) and keeps the HOW out.
Related commands
Used by