subject: Risk Based Testing [print this page] It is difficult to identify the means through which a product might fail, define how significant the failures would be if they happened, and then create and execute tests to determine whether the product certainly fails in such ways. For software testers involved in Software Quality Assurance, it is always important to make the decisions about what to test, what not to test and what to do more or less; for this, testers always set the focus on those parts of the software where the risks are maximum because effective testing does not depend on the amount of time or resources that are available for testing process.
Risk is a probability or a prediction which may or may not happen, but when it happens, it leads to some definite loss.
According to Shari Lawrence Pfleeger, A risk is an unwanted event that has negative consequences.
Testing is also a risk based exercise where we have to analyze or identify the risk occurrence which leads to a minor or major loss. If we test software on the basis of risk, it makes our testing process very easy and reduces the probability of risk. So before starting the testing of a software product, we should analyze the risks.
Risk Based Testing basically involves prioritizing the testing effort and the specific features and functions to be tested, based on the identified risks. By risk based testing, we can deliver a quality product within the limited amount of time and resources. In risk based testing, we recognize the requirements of the software from business and technical aspects; then these requirements are prioritized on the basis of risk.
Along with Software Quality Assurance the main focus of risk based testing is on addressing the following two points for the requirements under test:
1.Likelihood of failure is the probability of risks occurrence
2.Impact of failure is the severity of risks impact
Risk based testing is used to deliver a quality product so that customer would have the best experience with product. There are a few strategies associated with the risk based testing technique:
1.Priority indicator-Recognizing the most important/critical functionalities
2.Defect indicator- Recognizing the areas where the probability of failure is high
3.Severity indicator- Recognizing the failures impact on a particular functionality
Risk based test planning means how we proceed with our testing process. In risk based test planning, first, we identify the risks in software. In risk identification, we collect all the information related to the software and analyze the information to identify the risk. Since we now know which risks can be eliminated and which cannot, mitigation activities are planned to reduce the impact of these risks.
Risk based test approach requires testers who have good knowledge of the application and are experienced with the test environment. This is because test engineers create test cases and test scripts themselves for the test data. Inexperienced test engineers require training to become familiar with the approach.
Risk based strategy and planning involves not only the risk identification and its termination, but it also focuses on finding out better alternatives to avoid that risk. Another benefit of risk based testing is prioritization of bugs during testing. Here are some of the benefits of risk based testing.
Adds objectivity to the traditional form of testing
Optimizes the testing effort, reducing testing time and resources
Makes it easy for the QA organizations to deliver the right quality in response to changing business requirements.
