Test Plans are usually documents of things to do and the circumstances around it. I have done my share of strictly formatted documents; where moving chapters where disrespectful. I have done less formal documents, and even some using mind maps. Sometimes I consider if a Business Model Canvas would be a great template for test plans… asking:
1) Who are your customers – to whom do you create value – who pays for your testing
2) What do we deliver – what business problems are we solving
3) What are our ways of communicating with our customers
4) What are the relationships – perhaps a RACI here?
5) How to capture value is perhaps a bit more tricky.. but if test activities gives information, what form and what value does the pieces have.
6) Key resources: tools, processes and staffing
7) Key activities – what are you going to do
8) Who can help you provide information, what are your oracles, or perhaps your scrum master?
9) What does it cost – what drives the cost of your testing?
what did I miss? Or is something of the above not needed it setting the scene for testing?