Test design

A test design technique is a standardised method to derive, from a specific test basis, test cases that realise a specific coverage. The implementation of test design techniques and their definition in the test specifications have several advantages:

• It provides a well-founded elaboration of the test strategy: the agreed coverage in the agreed place.
• It is a more effective way to detect defects than e.g. ad-hoc test cases.
• The tests are reproducible because the order and content of the test execution are described in detail.
• The standardised method ensures that the test process is independent of the individual who specifies and executes the test cases.
• The standardised method ensures that the test specifi cations are transferable and maintainable.
• It becomes easier to plan and manage the test process because the processes of test specification and execution can be split up into clearly definable blocks.

Test design techniques exist in many variants and combinations. The test design techniques described in TMap constitute a varied set with which most organisations can get to work immediately. TMap describes the following coverage types and test design techniques.

Coverage types		Test design techniques
paths	|	decision table test
decision points	|	data combination test
equivalence classes	|	data cycle test
orthogonal arrays and pair-wise testing	|	elementary comparison test
CRUD	|	error guessing
boundary value analysis	|	exploratory testing
right paths and fault paths	|	process cycle test
operational profiles and load profiles	|	reallife test
checklists	|	semantic test
	|	state transition testing
	|	syntactic test
	|	use case test
Go to Building Block	|	Go to Building Block