Risk-based Testing

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Risk-based testing (RBT) is a type of software testing that prioritizes the features and functions to be tested based on priority/importance and likelihood or impact of failure. In theory, since there is an infinite number of possible tests, any set of tests must be a subset of all possible tests. Test techniques such as boundary value analysis and state transition testing aim to find the areas most likely to be defective. So by using test techniques, a software test engineer is already selecting tests based on risk.

Contents 1 Types of Risks 1.1 Business or Operational 1.2 Technical 1.3 External 2 History

[edit] Types of Risks

This section lists some common risks.

[edit] Business or Operational

• High use of a subsystem, function or feature
• Criticality of a subsystem, function or feature, including unacceptability of failure

[edit] Technical

• Geographic distribution of development team
• Complexity of a subsystem or function

[edit] External

• Sponsor or executive preference
• Regulatory requirements
• Exploratory & Risk Based Testing (2004) www.testingeducation.org, by Cem Kaner and James Bach

[edit] History

Most people consider James Bach to be the "father" of risk-based testing. He described the idea in a paper entitled The Challenge of Good Enough Software in October 1995 appearing in the journal American Programmer.