Risk-based Testing - Assessing Risks

Assessing Risks

The changes between two releases or versions is key in order to assess risk. Evaluating critical business modules is a first step in prioritizing tests, but it does not include the notion of evolutionary risk. This is then expanded using two methods: change-based testing and regression testing.

• Change-based testing allows test teams to assess changes made in a release and then prioritize tests towards modified modules.
• Regression testing ensures that a change, such as a bug fix, did not introduce new faults into the software under test. One of the main reasons for regression testing is to determine whether a change in one part of the software affects other parts of the software.

These two methods permit test teams to prioritize tests based on risk, change and criticality of business modules. Certain technologies can make this kind of test strategy very easy to set up and to maintain with software changes.