Software Testing Practice

A Software Testing Practice is a quality assurance practice that validates software functionality and system behavior through systematic verification and defect detection using test methodologies and validation techniques.

• AKA: Testing Methodology, QA Practice, Software Verification Practice, Quality Testing Approach, Validation Practice.
• Context:
  • It can typically define Test Strategies through test planning with coverage goals.
  • It can typically implement Test Cases via scenario definitions with expected outcomes.
  • It can typically execute Test Suites through test runners with automation frameworks.
  • It can typically measure Test Coverage via code analysis with metric collection.
  • It can typically report Test Results through reporting systems with defect tracking.
  • ...
  • It can often establish Test Environments via environment provisioning with data preparation.
  • It can often support Test Automation through script development with CI/CD integration.
  • It can often facilitate Test Collaboration via team coordination with feedback mechanisms.
  • It can often enable Test Optimization through test selection with execution prioritization.
  • ...
  • It can range from being a Manual Testing Practice to being an Automated Testing Practice, depending on its automation level.
  • It can range from being a Unit Testing Practice to being an System Testing Practice, depending on its test scope.
  • It can range from being a Functional Testing Practice to being a Non-Functional Testing Practice, depending on its test focus.
  • It can range from being a White-Box Testing Practice to being a Black-Box Testing Practice, depending on its knowledge level.
  • ...
  • It can integrate with Software Development Environments for development support.
  • It can connect to CI/CD Pipelines for continuous testing.
  • It can interface with Bug Tracking Systems for issue management.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Unit Testing Practices, such as:
    • Test-Driven Development for test-first development.
    • Component Testing for module verification.
    • Mock Testing for isolation testing.
  • Integration Testing Practices, such as:
    • API Testing for interface verification.
    • Service Testing for microservice validation.
  • Specialized Testing Practices, such as:
    • Agentic Coding Dogfooding Practice for internal validation.
    • Performance Testing for load verification.
    • Security Testing for vulnerability detection.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • Code Review, which focuses on static analysis rather than dynamic testing.
  • Documentation, which provides information rather than validation.
  • Debugging, which fixes specific issues rather than systematic testing.
  • Monitoring, which observes production behavior rather than test execution.
• See: Quality Assurance, Software Testing, Test Methodology, Verification and Validation, Test Automation, Continuous Testing, Test Framework, Quality Control, Software Engineering Methodology.

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