Terms Used In Chapter 3 Of The Software Test Engineer's Handbook

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exit criteria

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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 is to prevent a task from being considered completed when there are still outstanding parts of the task which have not been finished. Exit criteria are used by testing to report against and to plan when to stop testing.

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FMEA

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Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA): A systematic approach to risk identification and analysis of identifying possible modes of failure and attempting to prevent their occurrence.

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product risk

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A risk directly related to the test object.

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project risk

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A risk related to management and control of the (test) project.

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risk analysis

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The process of assessing identified risks to estimate their impact and probability of occurrence (likelihood).

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risk-based testing

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Testing oriented towards exploring and providing information about product risks.

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risk identification

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

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risk management

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

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risk mitigation

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

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risk type

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A specific category of risk related to the type of testing that can mitigate (control) that category. For example the risk of user-interactions being misunderstood can be mitigated by usability testing.

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safety-critical system

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A system whose failure or malfunction may result in death or serious injury to people, or loss or severe damage to equipment, or environmental harm.

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software lifecycle

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The period of time that begins when a software product is conceived and ends when the software is no longer available for use. The software life cycle typically includes a concept phase, requirements phase, design phase, implementation phase, test phase, installation and checkout phase, operation and maintenance phase, and sometimes, retirement phase. Note these phases may overlap or be performed iteratively.

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system of systems

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Multiple heterogeneous, distributed systems that are embedded in networks at multiple levels and in multiple domains interconnected addressing large-scale inter-disciplinary common problems and purposes.

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test case

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A set of input values, execution preconditions, expected results and execution postconditions, developed for a particular objective or test condition, such as to exercise a particular program path or to verify compliance with a specific requirement.

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test closure

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"During the test closure phase of a test process data is collected from completed activities to consolidate experience, testware, facts and numbers. The test closure phase consists of finalizing and archiving the testware and evaluating the test process, including preparation of a test evaluation report. See also test process.

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test condition

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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 structural element.

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test design

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(1) See test design specification: A document specifying the test conditions (coverage items) for a test item, the detailed test approach and identifying the associated high level test cases. (2) The process of transforming general testing objectives into tangible test conditions and test cases.

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test execution

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

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test implementation

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

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test item transmittal report

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See release note: A document identifying test items, their configuration, current status and other delivery information delivered by development to testing, and possibly other stakeholders, at the start of a test execution phase.

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test log

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

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test plan

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A document describing the scope, approach, resources and schedule of intended test activities. It identifies amongst others test items, the features to be tested, the testing tasks, who will do each task, degree of tester independence, the test environment, the test design techniques and entry and exit criteria to be used, and the rationale for their choice, and any risks requiring contingency planning. It is a record of the test planning process.

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test procedure

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See test procedure specification: A document specifying a sequence of actions for the execution of a test. Also known as test script or manual test script.

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test progress report

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A document summarizing testing activities and results, produced at regular intervals, to report progress of testing activities against a baseline (such as the original test plan) and to communicate risks and alternatives requiring a decision to management.

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test schedule

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

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test script

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

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test specification

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

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test summary report

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