What are the main stages involved in the software testing cycle?

The software testing cycle typically includes the following main stages:

1. Test Planning — defining objectives, scope, resources, and timelines.
2. Requirements Analysis and Test Documentation Preparation — studying requirements and creating test cases.
3. Test Environment Setup — preparing hardware, software, and data.
4. Test Execution — running test cases and collecting results.
5. Defect Tracking and Management — registering found errors, analyzing, and fixing them.
6. Regression and Re-Testing — verifying fixed errors and the impact of changes on the system.
7. Reporting and Test Closure — preparing final reports and assessing product quality.

This cycle helps to systematize the testing process and improve software quality.