testing terms Flashcards
acceptance test-driven development
A collaboration-based test-first approach that defines acceptance tests in the stakeholders’ domain language.
acceptance criteria
The criteria that a component or system must satisfy in order to be accepted by a user, customer, or other authorized entity.
acceptance testing
A test level that focuses on determining whether to accept the system.
actual result
The behavior produced/observed when a component or system is tested.
Agile software development
A group of software development methodologies based on iterative incremental development, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing cross-functional teams.
alpha testing
A type of acceptance testing performed in the developer’s test environment by roles outside the development organization.
anomaly
A condition that deviates from expectation.
API testing
Testing performed by submitting requests to the test object using its application programming interface.
audit
An independent examination of a work product or process performed by a third party to assess whether it complies with specifications, standards, contractual agreements, or other criteria.
availability
The degree to which a component or system is operational and accessible when required for use.
behavior-driven development
A collaborative approach to development in which the team is focusing on delivering expected behavior of a component or system for the customer, which forms the basis for testing.
beta testing
A type of acceptance testing performed at an external site to the developer’s test environment by roles outside the development organization.
black-box test technique
A test technique based on an analysis of the specification of a component or system.
black-box testing
Testing based on an analysis of the specification of the component or system.
boundary value
A minimum or maximum value of an ordered equivalence partition.
boundary value analysis
A black-box test technique in which test cases are designed based on boundary values.
branch
A transfer of control between two nodes in the control flow graph of a test item.
branch coverage
The coverage of branches in a control flow graph.
branch testing
A white-box test technique in which the test conditions are branches.
cause-effect diagram
A graphical representation used to organize and display the interrelationships of various possible root causes of a problem. Possible causes of a real or potential defect or failure are organized in categories and subcategories in a horizontal tree-structure, with the (potential) defect or failure as the root node.
checklist-based review
A review technique guided by a list of questions or required attributes.
checklist-based testing
An experience-based test technique in which test cases are designed to exercise the items of a checklist.
coding standard
A standard that describes the characteristics of a design or a design description of data or program components.
collaboration-based test approach
An approach to testing that focuses on defect avoidance by collaborating among stakeholders.
compatibility
The degree to which a component or system can exchange information with other components or systems, and/or perform its required functions while sharing the same hardware or software environment.
complexity
The degree to which the design or code of a component or system is difficult to understand.
compliance
Adherence of a work product to standards, conventions or regulations in laws and similar prescriptions.
component
A part of a system that can be tested in isolation.
component integration testing
The integration testing of components.
component testing
A test level that focuses on individual hardware or software components.
configuration management
A discipline applying technical and administrative direction and surveillance to identify and document the functional and physical characteristics of a configuration item, control changes to those characteristics, record and report change processing and implementation status, and verify that it complies with specified requirements.
confirmation testing
A type of change-related testing performed after fixing a defect to confirm that a failure caused by that defect does not reoccur.
continuous integration
An automated software development procedure that merges, integrates and tests all changes as soon as they are committed.
continuous testing
An approach that involves a process of testing early, testing often, test everywhere, and automate to obtain feedback on the business risks associated with a software release candidate as rapidly as possible.
control flow
The sequence in which operations are performed by a business process, component or system.
cost of quality
The total costs incurred on quality activities and issues and often split into prevention costs, appraisal costs, internal failure costs and external failure costs.
coverage
The degree to which specified coverage items are exercised by a test suite, expressed as a percentage.
coverage criteria
The criteria to define the coverage items required to reach a test objective.
coverage item
An attribute or combination of attributes derived from one or more test conditions by using a test technique.
dashboard
A representation of dynamic measurements of operational performance for some organization or activity, using metrics represented via metaphors such as visual dials, counters, and other devices resembling those on the dashboard of an automobile, so that the effects of events or activities can be easily understood and related to operational goals.
debugging
The process of finding, analyzing and removing the causes of failures in a component or system.
decision table testing
A black-box test technique in which test cases are designed to exercise the combinations of conditions and the resulting actions shown in a decision table.
defect
An imperfection or deficiency in a work product where it does not meet its requirements or specifications.
defect density
The number of defects per unit size of a work product.
Defect Detection Percentage
The number of defects found by a test level, divided by the number found by that test level and any other means afterwards.
defect management
The process of recognizing, recording, classifying, investigating, resolving and disposing of defects.
defect report
Documentation of the occurrence, nature, and status of a defect.
driver
A component or tool that temporarily replaces another component and controls or calls a test item in isolation.
dynamic testing
Testing that involves the execution of the test item.
effectiveness
The extent to which correct and complete goals are achieved.
efficiency
The degree to which resources are expended in relation to results achieved.
entry criteria
The set of conditions for officially starting a defined task.
equivalence partition
A subset of the value domain of a variable within a component or system in which all values are expected to be treated the same based on the specification.
equivalence partitioning
A black-box test technique in which test conditions are equivalence partitions exercised by one representative member of each partition.
error
A human action that produces an incorrect result.
error guessing
A test technique in which tests are derived on the basis of the tester’s knowledge of past failures, or general knowledge of failure modes.
exhaustive testing
A test approach in which the test suite comprises all combinations of input values and preconditions.
exit criteria
The set of conditions for officially completing a defined task.
expected result
The observable predicted behavior of a test item under specified conditions based on its test basis.
experience-based test technique
A test technique based on the tester’s experience, knowledge and intuition.
exploratory testing
An approach to testing in which the testers dynamically design and execute tests based on their knowledge, exploration of the test item and the results of previous tests.
failed
The status of a test result if the actual result does not match the expected result.
failure
An event in which a component or system does not perform a required function within specified limits.
feature-driven development
An iterative and incremental software development process driven from a client-valued functionality (feature) perspective. Feature-driven development is mostly used in Agile software development.
finding
A result of an evaluation that identifies some important issue, problem, or opportunity.
formal review
A type of review that follows a defined process with a formally documented output.
functional appropriateness
The degree to which the functions facilitate the accomplishment of specified tasks and objectives.
functional completeness
The degree to which the set of functions covers all the specified tasks and user objectives.
functional correctness
The degree to which a component or system provides the correct results with the needed degree of precision.
functional testing
Testing performed to evaluate if a component or system satisfies functional requirements.
heuristic
A generally recognized rule of thumb that helps to achieve a goal.
impact analysis
The identification of all work products affected by a change, including an estimate of the resources needed to accomplish the change.
incremental development model
A type of software development lifecycle model in which the component or system is developed through a series of increments.
independence of testing
Separation of responsibilities, which encourages the accomplishment of objective testing.
informal review
A type of review that does not follow a defined process and has no formally documented output.
