Test management

A test case without concrete (implementation level) values for input data and expected results. Logical operators are used: instances of the actual values are …

The exit criteria that a component or system must satisfy in order to be accepted by a user, customer, or other authorized entity.

Formal testing with respect to user needs, requirements, and business processes conducted to determine whether or not a system satisfies the acceptance …

The degree to which a product or system can be used by people with the widest range of characteristics and capabilities to achieve a specified goal in a …

The capability of the software product to provide the right or agreed results or effects with the needed degree of precision.

The behavior produced/observed when a component or system is tested.

A statement on the values that underpin Agile software development. The values are: individuals and interactions over processes and tools, working software …

A group of software development methodologies based on iterative incremental development, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between …

A test strategy whereby the test team analyzes the test basis to identify the test conditions to cover.

A tool that carries out static analysis.

Any condition that deviates from expectation based on requirements specifications, design documents, user documents, standards, etc., or from someone's …

The degree to which users can recognize whether a component or system is appropriate for their needs.

An independent evaluation of software products or processes to ascertain compliance to standards, guidelines, specifications, and/or procedures based on …

One of four levels that specify the item's or element's necessary requirements of ISO 26262 and safety measures to avoid an unreasonable residual risk.

The degree to which a component or system is operational and accessible when required for use. Often expressed as a percentage.

The percentage of branches that have been exercised by a test suite. 100% branch coverage implies both 100% decision coverage and 100% statement coverage.

A flaw in a component or system that can cause the component or system to fail to perform its required function, e.g., an incorrect statement or data …

A document reporting on any flaw in a component or system that can cause the component or system to fail to perform its required function.

A system of (hierarchical) categories designed to be a useful aid for reproducibly classifying defects.

A set of automated tests which validates the integrity of each new build and verifies its key/core functionality, stability and testability.

A framework that describes the key elements of an effective product development and maintenance process. The Capability Maturity Model Integration covers …

An analysis technique aimed at identifying the root causes of defects. By directing corrective measures at root causes, it is hoped that the likelihood of …

A black-box test technique in which test cases are designed from cause-effect graphs.

A graphical representation used to organize and display the interrelationships of various possible root causes of a problem. Possible causes of a real or …

A graphical representation of inputs and/or stimuli (causes) with their associated outputs (effects), which can be used to design test cases.

The process of confirming that a component, system or person complies with its specified requirements.

(1) A structured approach to transitioning individuals and organizations from a current state to a desired future state. (2) Controlled way to effect a change, …

A statement of test objectives, and possibly test ideas about how to test. Test charters are used in exploratory testing.

The person involved in the review that identifies and describes anomalies in the product or project under review. Reviewers can be chosen to represent …

Testing based on an analysis of the internal structure of the component or system.

An analysis method that determines which parts of the software have been executed (covered) by the test suite and which parts have not been executed, e.g., …

A standard that describes the characteristics of a design or a design description of data or program components.

A software product that is developed for the general market, i.e. for a large number of customers, and that is delivered to many customers in identical format.

The set of generic and specific conditions, agreed upon with the stakeholders for permitting a process to be officially completed. The purpose of exit criteria …

The degree to which a component or system has a design and/or internal structure that is difficult to understand, maintain and verify.

The capability of the software product to adhere to standards, conventions or regulations in laws and similar prescriptions.

Testing performed to expose defects in the interfaces and interactions between integrated components.

The testing of individual software components.

A test case with concrete (implementation level) values for input data and expected results. Logical operators from high-level test cases are replaced by …

In managing project risks, the period of time within which a contingency action must be implemented in order to be effective in reducing the impact of the …

A test suite that covers the main functionality of a component or system to determine whether it works properly before planned testing begins.

An aggregation of hardware, software or both, that is designated for configuration management and treated as a single entity in the configuration management …

A discipline applying technical and administrative direction and surveillance to identify and document the functional and physical characteristics of a …

Testing that runs test cases that failed the last time they were run, in order to verify the success of corrective actions.

A test strategy whereby the test team relies on the input of one or more key stakeholders to determine the details of the strategy.

A statistical process control tool used to monitor a process and determine whether it is statistically controlled. It graphically depicts the average value and …

A sequence of events (paths) in the execution through a component or system.

A sequence of consecutive edges in a directed graph.

A metric that shows progress toward a defined criterion, e.g., convergence of the total number of tests executed to the total number of tests planned for …

The total costs incurred on quality activities and issues and often split into prevention costs, appraisal costs, internal failure costs and external failure …

The degree, expressed as a percentage, to which a specified coverage item has been exercised by a test suite.

An element necessary for an organization or project to achieve its mission. Critical success factors are the critical factors or activities required for …

A content-based model for test process improvement built around twelve critical processes. These include highly visible processes, by which peers and management …

A software tool developed specifically for a set of users or customers.

A representation of dynamic measurements of operational performance for some organization or activity, using metrics represented via metaphors such as visual …

The process of finding, analyzing and removing the causes of failures in software.

A program point at which the control flow has two or more alternative routes. A node with two or more links to separate branches.

The number of defects identified in a component or system divided by the size of the component or system (expressed in standard measurement terms, e.g., …

The number of defects found by a test level, divided by the number found by that test level and any other means afterwards.

The process of recognizing, investigating, taking action and disposing of defects. It involves recording defects, classifying them and identifying the impact.

A cross-functional team of stakeholders who manage reported defects from initial detection to ultimate resolution (defect removal, defect deferral, or report …

A procedure to derive and/or select test cases targeted at one or more defect types, with tests being developed from what is known about the specific defect …

The set of generic and specific conditions for permitting a process to go forward with a defined task, e.g., test phase. The purpose of entry criteria is to …

A software component or test tool that replaces a component that takes care of the control and/or the calling of a component or system.

Testing that involves the execution of the software of a component or system.

The capability of producing an intended result.

(1) The capability of the software product to provide appropriate performance, relative to the amount of resources used, under stated conditions. (2) The …

A black-box test design technique in which test cases are designed to execute representatives from equivalence partitions. In principle, test cases are …

A human action that produces an incorrect result.

A defect that was not detected in a previous test level which is supposed to find such type of defects.

The behavior predicted by the specification, or another source, of the component or system under specified conditions.

Testing based on the tester's experience, knowledge and intuition.

An informal test design technique where the tester actively controls the design of the tests as those tests are performed and uses information gained while …

A software engineering methodology used within Agile software development whereby core practices are programming in pairs, doing extensive code review, unit …

Deviation of the component or system from its expected delivery, service or result.

A systematic approach to risk identification and analysis of identifying possible modes of failure and attempting to prevent their occurrence.

A test result in which a defect is reported although no such defect actually exists in the test object.

A test result which fails to identify the presence of a defect that is actually present in the test object.

A technique used to analyze the causes of faults (defects). The technique visually models how logical relationships between failures, human errors, and …

An iterative and incremental software development process driven from a client-valued functionality (feature) perspective. Feature-driven development is mostly …

A result of an evaluation that identifies some important issue, problem, or opportunity.

A review characterized by documented procedures and requirements, e.g., inspection.

The absence of unreasonable risk due to hazards caused by malfunctioning behavior of Electric/Electronic(E/E) - Systems.

The degree to which a component or system provides functions that meet stated and implied needs when used under specified conditions.

Testing based on an analysis of the specification of the functionality of a component or system.

An approach to software measurement using a three-level model conceptual level (goal), operational level (question) and quantitative level (metric).

A generally recognized rule of thumb that helps to achieve a goal.

An organizational improvement model that serves as a roadmap for initiating, planning, and implementing improvement actions. The IDEAL model is named for the …

The damage that will be caused if the risk becomes an actual outcome or event.

The assessment of change to the layers of development documentation, test documentation and components, in order to implement a given change to specified …

Separation of responsibilities, which encourages the accomplishment of objective testing.

A measure that can be used to estimate or predict another measure.

A review not based on a formal (documented) procedure.

Attributes of software products that bear on its ability to prevent unauthorized access, whether accidental or deliberate, to programs and data.

A variable (whether stored within a component or outside) that is read by a component.

Testing performed by people who are co-located with the project team but are not fellow employees.

A type of peer review that relies on visual examination of documents to detect defects, e.g., violations of development standards and non-conformance to higher …

Testing performed to expose defects in the interfaces and in the interactions between integrated components or systems.

The capability of the software product to interact with one or more specified components or systems.

Testing to determine the interoperability of a software product.

A metric that supports the judgment of process performance.

On large projects, the person who reports to the test manager and is responsible for project management of a particular test level or a particular set of …

A test plan that typically addresses one test level.

The activities performed at each stage in software development, and how they relate to one another logically and chronologically.

The probability that a risk will become an actual outcome or event.

The ease with which a software product can be modified to correct defects, modified to meet new requirements, modified to make future maintenance easier, or …

Modification of a software product after delivery to correct defects, to improve performance or other attributes, or to adapt the product to a modified …

Testing the changes to an operational system or the impact of a changed environment to an operational system.

A systematic evaluation of software acquisition, supply, development, operation, or maintenance process, performed by or on behalf of management that monitors …

A test plan that typically addresses multiple test levels.

(1) The capability of an organization with respect to the effectiveness and efficiency of its processes and work practices. (2) The capability of the software …

Degree of process improvement across a predefined set of process areas in which all goals in the set are attained.

A structured collection of elements that describe certain aspects of maturity in an organization, and aid in the definition and understanding of an …

The average time between failures of a component or system.

The number or category assigned to an attribute of an entity by making a measurement.

The process of assigning a number or category to an entity to describe an attribute of that entity.

A test strategy whereby the test team uses a pre-determined set of test conditions such as a quality standard, a checklist, or a collection of generalized, …

A measurement scale and the method used for measurement.

A test strategy whereby the test team derives testware from models.

Testing based on or involving models.

Multiple heterogeneous, distributed systems that are embedded in networks at multiple levels and in multiple interconnected domains, addressing large-scale …

An indicator of psychological preference representing the different personalities and communication styles of people.

Testing the attributes of a component or system that do not relate to functionality, e.g., reliability, efficiency, usability, maintainability and portability.

A software tool that is available to all potential users in source code form, usually via the internet. Its users are permitted, usually under license, to …

The representation of a distinct set of tasks performed by the component or system, possibly based on user behavior when interacting with the component or …

The process of developing and implementing an operational profile.

A source to determine expected results to compare with the actual result of the software under test. An oracle may be the existing system (for a benchmark), …

A high-level document describing the principles, approach and major objectives of the organization regarding testing.

A high-level description of the test levels to be performed and the testing within those levels for an organization or programme (one or more projects).

A variable (whether stored within a component or outside) that is written by a component.

Testing performed by people who are not co-located with the project team and are not fellow employees.

A black-box test design technique in which test cases are designed to execute all possible discrete combinations of each pair of input parameters.

A statistical technique in decision making that is used for selection of a limited number of factors that produce significant overall effect. In terms of …

A test is deemed to pass if its actual result matches its expected result.

The degree to which a system or component accomplishes its designated functions within given constraints regarding processing time and throughput rate.

Testing to determine the performance of a software product.

The percentage of defects that are removed in the same phase of the software lifecycle in which they were introduced.

A consensus-based estimation technique, mostly used to estimate effort or relative size of user stories in Agile software development. It is a variation of the …

A meeting at the end of a project during which the project team members evaluate the project and learn lessons that can be applied to the next project.

The level of (business) importance assigned to an item, e.g., defect.

A systematic approach to risk-based testing that employs product risk identification and analysis to create a product risk matrix based on likelihood and …

The effect on the component or system by the measurement instrument when the component or system is being measured, e.g., by a performance testing tool or …

A disciplined evaluation of an organization's software processes against a reference model.

A framework in which processes of the same nature are classified into an overall model.

A test strategy whereby the test team follows a set of predefined processes, whereby the processes address such items as documentation, the proper …

A risk directly related to the test object.

A structured way to capture lessons learned and to create specific action plans for improving on the next project or next project phase.

A risk related to management and control of the (test) project, e.g., lack of staffing, strict deadlines, changing requirements, etc.

The degree to which a component, system or process meets specified requirements and/or user/customer needs and expectations.

Part of quality management focused on providing confidence that quality requirements will be fulfilled.

A feature or characteristic that affects an item's quality.

A set of activities designed to evaluate the quality of a component or system.

A facilitated workshop technique that helps determine critical characteristics for new product development.

Coordinated activities to direct and control an organization with regard to quality that include establishing a quality policy and quality objectives, quality …

A product risk related to a quality attribute.

A matrix describing the participation by various roles in completing tasks or deliverables for a project or process. It is especially useful in clarifying roles …

A proprietary adaptable iterative software development process framework consisting of four project lifecycle phases: inception, elaboration, construction and …

A test strategy whereby the test team waits to design and implement tests until the software is received, reacting to the actual system under test.

Testing that dynamically responds to the behavior of the test object and to test results being obtained.

Testing of a previously tested program following modification to ensure that defects have not been introduced or uncovered in unchanged areas of the software, …

A test strategy whereby the test team applies various techniques to manage the risk of regression such as functional and/or non-functional regression test …

The ability of the software product to perform its required functions under stated conditions for a specified period of time, or for a specified number of …

A condition or capability needed by a user to solve a problem or achieve an objective that must be met or possessed by a system or system component to satisfy …

An approach to testing in which test cases are designed based on test objectives and test conditions derived from requirements, e.g., tests that exercise …

An evaluation of a product or project status to ascertain discrepancies from planned results and to recommend improvements. Examples include management review, …

A document describing the approach, resources and schedule of intended review activities. It identifies, amongst others: documents and code to be reviewed, …

A factor that could result in future negative consequences.

The process of assessing identified project or product risks to determine their level of risk, typically by estimating their impact and probability of …

The process of identifying and subsequently analyzing the identified project or product risk to determine its level of risk, typically by assigning likelihood …

A set of risks grouped by one or more common factors such as a quality attribute, cause, location, or potential effect of risk. A specific set of product risk …

The importance of a risk as defined by its characteristics impact and likelihood. The level of risk can be used to determine the intensity of testing to be …

The process of identifying risks using techniques such as brainstorming, checklists and failure history.

Systematic application of procedures and practices to the tasks of identifying, analyzing, prioritizing, and controlling risk.

The process through which decisions are reached and protective measures are implemented for reducing risks to, or maintaining risks within, specified levels.

An approach to testing to reduce the level of product risks and inform stakeholders of their status, starting in the initial stages of a project. It involves …

A source of a defect such that if it is removed, the occurrence of the defect type is decreased or removed.

A methodology whereby objectives are defined very specifically rather than generically. SMART is an acronym derived from the attributes of the objective to be …

The degree to which a component or system can be adjusted for changing capacity.

Testing (manual or automated) that follows a test script.

An iterative incremental framework for managing projects commonly used with Agile software development.

A quality risk related to security.

Testing to determine the security of the software product.

The degree of impact that a defect has on the development or operation of a component or system.

A program of activities designed to improve the performance and maturity of the organization's software processes and the results of such a program.

A questionnaire-based usability test technique for measuring software quality from the end user's point of view.

An entity in a programming language, which is typically the smallest indivisible unit of execution.

Formal, possibly mandatory, set of requirements developed and used to prescribe consistent approaches to the way of working or to provide guidelines (e.g., …

A test strategy whereby the test team follows a standard. Standards followed may be valid e.g., for a country (legislation standards), a business domain (domain …

The percentage of executable statements that have been exercised by a test suite.

Analysis of software development artifacts, e.g., requirements or code, carried out without execution of these software development artifacts. Static analysis …

The analysis of source code carried out without execution of that software.

Testing of a software development artifact, e.g., requirements, design or code, without execution of these artifacts, e.g., reviews or static analysis.

Coverage measures based on the internal structure of a component or system.

A step-by-step presentation by the author of a document in order to gather information and to establish a common understanding of its content.

A skeletal or special-purpose implementation of a software component, used to develop or test a component that calls or is otherwise dependent on it. It …

Testing the integration of systems and packages; testing interfaces to external organizations (e.g., Electronic Data Interchange, Internet).

Testing an integrated system to verify that it meets specified requirements.

See test object.

A peer group discussion activity that focuses on achieving consensus on the technical approach to be taken.

A set of one or more test cases.

The process of analyzing the test basis and defining test objectives.

The implementation of the test strategy for a specific project. It typically includes the decisions made that follow based on the (test) project's goal and the …

(1) A person who provides guidance and strategic direction for a test organization and for its relationship with other disciplines. (2) A person who defines the …

The use of software to perform or support test activities, e.g., test management, test design, test execution and results checking.

All documents from which the requirements of a component or system can be inferred. The documentation on which the test cases are based. If a document can be …

An environment containing hardware, instrumentation, simulators, software tools, and other support elements needed to conduct a test.

A set of input values, execution preconditions, expected results and execution postconditions, developed for a particular objective or test condition, such as …

Procedure used to derive and/or select test cases.

A document specifying a set of test cases (objective, inputs, test actions, expected results, and execution preconditions) for a test item.

During the test closure phase of a test process data is collected from completed activities to consolidate experience, testware, facts and numbers. The test …

An item or event of a component or system that could be verified by one or more test cases, e.g., a function, transaction, feature, quality attribute, or …

A test management task that deals with developing and applying a set of corrective actions to get a test project on track when monitoring shows a deviation …

An instance of the test process against a single identifiable version of the test object.

Data that exists (for example, in a database) before a test is executed, and that affects or is affected by the component or system under test.

The process of transforming general test objectives into tangible test conditions and test cases.

A document specifying the test conditions (coverage items) for a test item, the detailed test approach and identifying the associated high-level test cases.

A senior manager who manages test managers.

The calculated approximation of a result related to various aspects of testing (e.g., effort spent, completion date, costs involved, number of test cases, …

The process of running a test on the component or system under test, producing actual result(s).

The use of software, e.g., capture/playback tools, to control the execution of tests, the comparison of actual results to expected results, the setting up of …

A scheme for the execution of test procedures. Note: The test procedures are included in the test execution schedule in their context and in the order in …

A test tool that executes tests against a designated test item and evaluates the outcomes against expected results and postconditions.

The process of developing and prioritizing test procedures, creating test data and, optionally, preparing test harnesses and writing automated test scripts.

The individual element to be tested. There usually is one test object and many test items.

A group of test activities that are organized and managed together. A test level is linked to the responsibilities in a project. Examples of test levels are …

A chronological record of relevant details about the execution of tests.

The process of recording information about tests executed into a test log.

The planning, estimating, monitoring and control of test activities, typically carried out by a test manager.

A tool that provides support to the test management and control part of a test process. It often has several capabilities, such as testware management, …

The person responsible for project management of testing activities and resources, and evaluation of a test object. The individual who directs, controls, …

A five-level staged framework for test process improvement, related to the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI), that describes the key elements of an …

The purpose of testing for an organization, often documented as part of the test policy.

A test management task that deals with the activities related to periodically checking the status of a test project. Reports are prepared that compare the …

The component or system to be tested.

A reason or purpose for designing and executing a test.

A document describing the scope, approach, resources and schedule of intended test activities. It identifies amongst others test items, the features to be …

The activity of establishing or updating a test plan.

A formula based test estimation method based on function point analysis.

A sequence of test cases in execution order, and any associated actions that may be required to set up the initial preconditions and any wrap up activities post …

The fundamental test process comprises test planning and control, test analysis and design, test implementation and execution, evaluating exit criteria and …

A document summarizing testing activities and results, produced at regular intervals, to report progress of testing activities against a baseline (such as the …

Documentation summarizing test activities and results.

Collecting and analyzing data from testing activities and subsequently consolidating the data in a report to inform stakeholders.

A list of activities, tasks or events of the test process, identifying their intended start and finish dates and/or times, and interdependencies.

Commonly used to refer to a test procedure specification, especially an automated one.

An uninterrupted period of time spent in executing tests.

A document that consists of a test design specification, test case specification and/or test procedure specification.

A document summarizing testing activities and results. It also contains an evaluation of the corresponding test items against exit criteria.

A software product that supports one or more test activities, such as planning and control, specification, building initial files and data, test execution and …

A group of test activities aimed at testing a component or system focused on a specific test objective, i.e. functional test, usability test, regression test …

A way of developing software where the test cases are developed, and often automated, before the software is developed to run those test cases.

The capability of the software product to enable modified software to be tested.

A skilled professional who is involved in the testing of a component or system.

The process consisting of all lifecycle activities, both static and dynamic, concerned with planning, preparation and evaluation of software products and …

Artifacts produced during the test process required to plan, design, and execute tests, such as documentation, scripts, inputs, expected results, set-up and …

A continuous business-driven framework for test process improvement that describes the key elements of an effective and efficient test process.

The ability to identify related items in documentation and software, such as requirements with associated tests.

A two-dimensional table, which correlates two entities (e.g., requirements and test cases). The table allows tracing back and forth the links of one entity to …

The capability of the software to be understood, learned, used and attractive to the user when used under specified conditions.

A requirement on the usability of a component or system.

Testing to determine the extent to which the software product is understood, easy to learn, easy to operate and attractive to the users under specified …

A person's perceptions and responses resulting from the use or anticipated use of a software product.

All components of a system that provide information and controls for the user to accomplish specific tasks with the system.

A high-level user or business requirement commonly used in Agile software development, typically consisting of one sentence in the everyday or business language …

A framework to describe the software development lifecycle activities from requirements specification to maintenance. The V-model illustrates how testing …

Confirmation by examination and through provision of objective evidence that the requirements for a specific intended use or application have been fulfilled.

Confirmation by examination and through provision of objective evidence that specified requirements have been fulfilled.

A questionnaire-based usability test technique for measuring web site software quality from the end user's point of view.

An expert-based test estimation technique that aims at making an accurate estimation using the collective wisdom of the team members.