What is Testing
An excellent testing definition comes from Cem Kaner:
"Testing is an empirical technical investigation of the product/system/artifact/service under test conducted to provide stakeholders with information about the quality."
Testing itself doesn't improve software quality. Testing provides information and evidence about the quality. The value of testing depends highly on if and how stakeholders use this information to improve the product, decisions, process, delivery, and user impact. If the project is heading in the wrong direction, testing will be the first one to tell us loud and clear.
Testing is critical because it is a significant part of development and maintenance costs. Failure in testing could lead to severe and possibly long-lasting adverse effects. Deficit of effectiveness in testing leads to late found defects, low test automation, high maintenance costs of tests, and high efforts on avoidable rework.
Testing is a journey with a Test Mission as a purpose, Test Policy as goals, and Test Strategy as a map.
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