The Keystone to Support a Generic Test Process:  Separating the "What" from the "How"

Abstract

A generic test process should support all approaches to informal and mixed approaches within, and across, all test levels. But widely-accepted formal approaches, from current standards, certification syllabi and tools, have explicitly-defined test cases as the key underlying entity: not all real-life approaches use explicit test cases. Also, testing is maturing beyond merely finding bugs we need better control, informing stakeholders in a language they understand. So, we separate the what from the how in the test process, using a structure which accommodates existing views yet provides flexibility to support varied approaches. We consider test analysis and test design as distinct activities with differently-structured work products with complex inter-relationships. We question the current scope and usage of test design techniques. Rather, test analysis produces test conditions which form the keystone for a generic test process supporting optimised test design and execution, plus measurement, monitoring and control of test and development processes.