Ref: After ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
The unintended termination of the execution of a component or system prior to completion.
Ref: After ISO 29119-11
Source: ISTQB
A statistical testing approach to determine which of two systems or components performs better.
See also: use case
Source: ISTQB
A use case in which some actors with malicious intent are causing harm to the system or to other actors.
Source: IREB
The process of assessing whether a ↑system satisfies all its ↑requirements.
Ref: ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
The criteria that a component or system must satisfy in order to be accepted by a user, customer, or other authorized entity.
Source: IREB
In agile: Criteria that the implementation of a ↑user story must satisfy in order to be accepted by the ↑stakeholders.
Source: IREB
A test that assesses whether a ↑system satisfies its ↑requirements.
Source: ISTQB
A collaborative approach to development in which the team and customers are using the customers own domain language to understand their requirements, which forms the basis for testing a component or system.
See also: Benutzerabnahmetest
Source: ISTQB
A test level that focuses on determining whether to accept the system.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system can be used by people with the widest range of characteristics and capabilities to achieve a specified goal in a specified context of use.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which the actions of an entity can be traced uniquely to that entity.
Source: ISTQB
The process of obtaining user account information based on trial and error with the intention of using that information in a security attack.
Source: IREB
An action or a set of actions that a person or group performs to accomplish a ↑task.
Source: IREB
A diagram type in ↑UML which models the flow of actions in some part of a ↑system, including ↑data flows and areas of responsibility where necessary.
Source: IREB
A ↑model of the flow of actions in some part of a ↑system.
Source: IREB
A person in some ↑role, a ↑system or a technical device in the context of a subject under consideration that interacts with that subject.
Source: ISTQB
The behavior produced/observed when a component or system is tested.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system can be adapted for different or evolving hardware, software or other operational or usage environments.
Ref: After ISO 20246
Source: ISTQB
A review technique performed informally without a structured process.
Ref: ISO 29119-11
Source: ISTQB
An input to an ML model created by applying small perturbations to a working example that results in the model outputting an incorrect result with high confidence.
Ref: After ISO 29119-11
Source: ISTQB
A test technique based on the attempted creation and execution of adversarial examples to identify defects in an ML model.
Source: IREB
In general: (a) Able to move quickly and easily. (b) Quick, smart, and clever. 2. In software development: A development approach which builds a product ↑incrementally by dividing work into ↑iterations of fixed duration (↑timeboxes).
Source: ISTQB
A statement on the values that underpin Agile software development. The values are: individuals and interactions over processes and tools, working software over comprehensive documentation, customer collaboration over contract negotiation, responding to change over following a plan.
Source: ISTQB
A group of software development methodologies based on iterative incremental development, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing cross-functional teams.
Source: ISTQB
A classification model of test types/levels in four quadrants, relating them to two dimensions of test goals: supporting the team vs. critiquing the product, and technology-facing vs. business-facing.
See also: Beta.Test
Source: ISTQB
A type of acceptance testing performed in the developer's test environment by roles outside the development organization.
Source: IREB
The contrary of →unambiguity
Source: ISTQB
A test strategy whereby the test team analyzes the test basis to identify the test conditions to cover.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which an assessment can be made for a component or system of either the impact of one or more intended changes, the diagnosis of deficiencies or causes of failures, or the identification of parts to be modified.
Ref: ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
Any condition that deviates from expectation based on requirements specifications, design documents, user documents, standards, etc., or from someone's perception or experience. Anomalies may be found during, but not limited to, reviewing, testing, analysis, compilation, or use of software products or applicable documentation.
See also: malware
Source: ISTQB
Software that is used to detect and inhibit malware.
Source: ISTQB
Repeated action, process, structure or reusable solution that initially appears to be beneficial and is commonly used but is ineffective and/or counterproductive in practice.
Source: ISTQB
Testing performed by submitting requests to the test object using its application programming interface.
Source: IREB
Those parts of the real world that are relevant for determining the ↑context of a ↑system.
Ref: Nach ISO 29119-1
See also: Gebrauchstauglichkeit
Source: ISTQB
A type of interface in which the components or systems involved exchange information in a defined formal structure.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which users can recognize whether a component or system is appropriate for their needs.
Source: IREB
Synonym for ↑work product.
Source: IREB
In UML: A relationship between two ↑classes in a ↑UML ↑class model.
Source: ISTQB
A condition that does not contain logical operators.
See also: hacker
Source: ISTQB
A person or process that attempts to access data, functions or other restricted areas of the system without authorization, potentially with malicious intent.
Source: ISTQB
A path or means by which an attacker can gain access to a system for malicious purposes.
Source: IREB
A characteristic property of an ↑entity or an ↑object.
Source: IREB
Compliance* The adherence of a ↑work product to ↑standards, conventions, regulations, laws, or similar prescriptions.
Source: ISTQB
Testing to determine if the game music and sound effects will engage the user in the game and enhance the game play.
Ref: After ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
An independent examination of a work product or process performed by a third party to assess whether it complies with specifications, standards, contractual agreements, or other criteria.
See also: authorization
Source: ISTQB
A procedure determining whether a person or a process is, in fact, who or what it is declared to be.
Ref: ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which the identity of a subject or resource can be proved to be the one claimed.
See also: authentication
Source: ISTQB
Permission given to a user or process to access resources.
See also: defect density
Source: ISTQB
Defect density of a component of the test automation code.
Ref: ISO 26262
See also: safety integrity level
Source: ISTQB
One of four levels that specify the item's or element's necessary requirements of ISO 26262 and safety measures to avoid an unreasonable residual risk.
Ref: ISO 33002
Source: ISTQB
A process reference model and an associated process assessment model in the automotive industry.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system is operational and accessible when required for use.
Source: IREB
Product backlog, → sprint backlog
Ref: Spillner
Source: ISTQB
Testing to compare two or more variants of a test item or a simulation model of the same test item by executing the same test cases on all variants and comparing the results.
Source: IREB
A stable, change-controlled ↑configuration of ↑work products.
Source: IREB
The way in which a ↑system reacts to stimuli, changes its state and produces observable results.
Source: ISTQB
A collaborative approach to development in which the team is focusing on delivering expected behavior of a component or system for the customer, which forms the basis for testing.
Source: IREB
A ↑model describing the ↑behavior of a ↑system, e.g., by a ↑state machine.
Source: ISTQB
GUI testing
Source: ISTQB
proximity-based testing
Source: ISTQB
A type of acceptance testing performed at an external site to the developer's test environment by roles outside the development organization.
Source: ISTQB
A test technique based on an analysis of the specification of a component or system.
Source: ISTQB
A network of compromised computers, called bots or robots, which is controlled by a third party and used to transmit malware or spam, or to launch attacks.
Source: ISTQB
A minimum or maximum value of an ordered equivalence partition.
See also: Grenzwert
Source: ISTQB
A black-box test technique in which test cases are designed based on boundary values.
Source: ISTQB
A transfer of control from a decision point.
Source: IREB
A line of ↑configurations or ↑work product ↑versions that forks away from the main line (or from another branch) at some point in time.
Ref: Mountain Goat Software
Source: ISTQB
planning poker
Source: ISTQB
An approach to testing in which gamification and awards for defects found are used as a motivator.
Source: ISTQB
An automated test that validates the integrity of each new build and verifies its key/core functionality, stability, and testability.
Source: IREB
A diagram plotting the work items that remain to accomplish on a time scale.
Source: IREB
A ↑requirement stating a business ↑goal, objective or need of an organization.
Ref: CMMI
Source: ISTQB
A framework that describes the key elements of an effective product development and maintenance process. The Capability Maturity Model Integration covers best-practices for planning, engineering and managing product development and maintenance.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which the maximum limits of a component or system parameter meet requirements.
Source: ISTQB
Testing to evaluate the capacity of a system.
Source: ISTQB
A test automation approach in which inputs to the test object are recorded during manual testing to generate automated test scripts that can be executed later.
Source: IREB
In modeling: The minimum and maximum number of ↑objects in a relationship. In mathematics: The number of elements in a set.
Ref: After Juran
Source: ISTQB
A graphical representation used to organize and display the interrelationships of various possible root causes of a problem. Possible causes of a real or potential defect or failure are organized in categories and subcategories in a horizontal tree-structure, with the (potential) defect or failure as the root node.
Source: ISTQB
A graphical representation of logical relationships between inputs (causes) and their associated outputs (effects).
Source: ISTQB
A black-box test technique in which test cases are designed from cause-effect graphs.
Source: ISTQB
The process of confirming that a component, system or person complies with specified requirements.
Abbreviation: CCB
Source: IREB
A committee of ↑customer and ↑supplier representatives that decides on ↑change requests.
Source: IREB
A controlled way to effect or deny a requested change of a ↑work product.
Source: ISTQB
A type of testing initiated by modification to a component or system.
Source: IREB
In RE: A well-argued request for changing one or more ↑baselined ↑requirements.
Ref: ISO 20246
Source: ISTQB
A review technique guided by a list of questions or required attributes.
Source: ISTQB
An experience-based test technique whereby the experienced tester uses a high-level list of items to be noted, checked, or remembered, or a set of rules or criteria against which a product has to be verified.
Source: IREB
A representation of a set of ↑objects of the same kind by describing the structure of the objects, the ways they can be manipulated and how they behave.
Source: IREB
A diagrammatic representation of a ↑class model.
See also: Klassifikationsbaumverfahren
Source: ISTQB
A tree diagram representing test data domains of a test object.
Ref: Grochtmann
See also: kombinatorisches Testen
Source: ISTQB
A black-box test technique in which test cases are designed using a classification tree.
Source: IREB
A model consisting of a set of ↑classes and relationships between them.
Source: ISTQB
Testing performed by submitting commands to the software under test using a dedicated command-line interface.
Ref: Bakshi
Source: ISTQB
A system in which the controlling action or input is dependent on the output or changes in output.
See also: malware scanning, SQL injection
Source: ISTQB
A type of security attack performed by inserting malicious code at an interface into an application to exploit poor handling of untrusted data.
Ref: ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
A standard that describes the characteristics of a design or a design description of data or program components.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system can perform its required functions while sharing an environment and resources with other components or systems without a negative impact on any of them.
See also: pairwise testing, classification tree technique
Source: ISTQB
A black-box test technique in which test cases are designed to exercise specific combinations of values of several parameters
Source: ISTQB
A type of interface in which the information is passed in form of command lines.
Source: ISTQB
A type of product developed in an identical format for a large number of customers in the general market.
Source: IREB
The parts of a ↑product line that are shared by all its members.
Source: IREB
1. For a single ↑requirement: The degree to which the specification of a requirement is self-contained. 2. For a ↑work product covering multiple requirements: The degree to which the work product contains all known requirements that are relevant in the scope of this work product.
See also: cyclomatic complexity
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system has a design and/or internal structure that is difficult to understand, maintain and verify.
Ref: IREB Glossary
Source: ISTQB
Adherence of a work product to standards, conventions or regulations in laws and similar prescriptions.
Source: ISTQB
Testing to determine the compliance of the component or system.
Source: ISTQB
A part of a system that can be tested in isolation.
Source: IREB
In general: A delimitable part of a ↑system. In software architecture: An encapsulated set of coherent ↑objects or ↑classes that jointly achieve some purpose. In testing: A part of a ↑system that can be tested in isolation.
Source: ISTQB
Testing in which the test items are interfaces and interactions between integrated components.
Source: ISTQB
A test level that focuses on individual hardware or software components.
Source: IREB
An ↑item that is composed of a set of items; forming a whole-part relationship. The act of composing a whole from a set of parts.
Source: ISTQB
The practice of determining how a security attack has succeeded and assessing the damage caused.
Source: ISTQB
The simultaneous execution of multiple independent threads by a component or system.
Source: ISTQB
Testing to evaluate if a component or system involving concurrency behaves as specified.
Source: ISTQB
The coverage of condition outcomes.
Source: ISTQB
A white-box test technique in which test cases are designed to exercise outcomes of atomic conditions.
Source: ISTQB
In managing project risks, the period of time within which a contingency action must be implemented in order to be effective in reducing the impact of the risk.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system ensures that data are accessible only to those authorized to have access.
Source: IREB
A consistent set of logically coherent ↑items. The items are individually identifiable ↑work products or parts of work products in at most one ↑version per item.
Ref: ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
An aggregation of work products that is designated for configuration management and treated as a single entity in the configuration management process.
Source: ISTQB
A type of change-related testing performed after fixing a defect to confirm that a failure caused by that defect does not reoccur.
Source: IREB
The degree to which a ↑work product conforms to regulations given in some ↑standard.
Ref: After ISO 2382
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system can connect to other components or systems.
Source: IREB
The degree to which a set of ↑requirements is free of contradicting statements.
Source: IREB
A ↑requirement that limits the solution space beyond what is necessary for meeting the given ↑functional requirements and ↑quality requirements.
Source: ISTQB
A test strategy whereby the test team relies on the input of one or more key stakeholders to determine the details of the strategy.
Source: IREB
In general: The network of thoughts and meanings needed for understanding phenomena or utterances. Especially in RE: The part of a ↑system’s environment being relevant for understanding the system and its ↑requirements.
Source: IREB
The boundary between the ↑context of a ↑system and those parts of the ↑application domain that are irrelevant for the ↑system and its ↑requirements.
Source: IREB
A diagrammatic representation of a ↑context model. In ↑Structured Analysis, the context diagram is the root of the ↑dataflow diagram hierarchy.
Source: IREB
A ↑model describing a ↑system in its ↑context.
Ref: ISO 9241-11
Source: ISTQB
Users, tasks, equipment (hardware, software and materials), and the physical and social environments in which a software product is used.
Source: ISTQB
An automated software development procedure that merges, integrates and tests all changes as soon as they are committed.
Source: ISTQB
An approach that involves a process of testing early, testing often, test everywhere, and automate to obtain feedback on the business risks associated with a software release candidate as rapidly as possible.
Source: ISTQB
A type of acceptance testing performed to verify whether a system satisfies its contractual requirements.
Source: ISTQB
A statistical process control tool used to monitor a process and determine whether it is statistically controlled. It graphically depicts the average value and the upper and lower control limits (the highest and lowest values) of a process.
Ref: After ISO 29119-4
Source: ISTQB
The sequence in which operations are performed by a business process, component or system.
Source: IREB
The order in which a set of actions is executed.
Source: ISTQB
A type of static analysis based on a representation of unique paths for executing a component or system.
Source: ISTQB
A white-box test technique in which test cases are designed based on control flows.
Source: ISTQB
A metric that shows progress toward a defined criterion, e.g., convergence of the total number of tests executed to the total number of tests planned for execution.
Source: IREB
The degree to which the information contained in a ↑work product is provably true.
Source: ISTQB
The total costs incurred on quality activities and issues and often split into prevention costs, appraisal costs, internal failure costs and external failure costs.
Ref: After ISO 29119-1
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which specified coverage items have been determined or have been exercised by a test suite expressed as a percentage.
See also: coverage item
Source: ISTQB
The criteria to define the coverage items required to reach a test objective.
Ref: After ISO 29119-1
Source: ISTQB
An attribute or combination of attributes derived from one or more test conditions by using a test technique.
Ref: CTP
See also: content-based model
Source: ISTQB
A content-based model for test process improvement built around twelve critical processes. These include highly visible processes, by which peers and management judge competence and mission-critical processes in which performance affects the company's profits and reputation.
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a website or web application can function across different browsers and degrade gracefully when browser features are absent or lacking.
Ref: NIST.IR.7298
Source: ISTQB
A vulnerability that allows attackers to inject malicious code into an otherwise benign website.
Source: ISTQB
An approach to testing in which testing is distributed to a large group of testers.
Source: IREB
A person or organization who receives a ↑system, a ↑product or a ↑service.
Source: IREB
A coarse description of the required capabilities of a ↑system from the ↑customer’s perspective.
Source: ISTQB
A software tool developed specifically for a set of users or customers.
Ref: After McCabe
Source: ISTQB
The maximum number of linear, independent paths through a program.
See also: corporate dashboard, scorecard
Source: ISTQB
A representation of dynamic measurements of operational performance for some organization or activity, using metrics represented via metaphors such as visual dials, counters, and other devices resembling those on the dashboard of an automobile, so that the effects of events or activities can be easily understood and related to operational goals.
Source: ISTQB
A scripting technique that uses data files to contain the test data and expected results needed to execute the test scripts.
Source: IREB
A sequence of data items flowing from a producer to a consumer.
Source: ISTQB
A type of static analysis based on the lifecycle of variables.
Abbreviation: DFD
Source: IREB
A diagrammatic representation of a ↑data flow model.
Source: IREB
A model that describes the ↑functionality of a ↑system by ↑activities, data stores and ↑data flows.
Source: ISTQB
Data transformation that makes it difficult for a human to recognize the original data.
Source: ISTQB
The protection of personally identifiable information or otherwise sensitive information from undesired disclosure.
Source: ISTQB
The process of finding, analyzing and removing the causes of failures in a component or system.
Ref: After ISO 29119-1
Source: ISTQB
A type of statement in which a choice between two or more possible outcomes controls which set of actions will result.
Source: ISTQB
The coverage of decision outcomes.
Source: IREB
A tabular representation of a complex decision, specifying which actions to perform for the possible combinations of condition values.
See also: Entscheidungstabelle
Source: ISTQB
A black-box test technique in which test cases are designed to exercise the combinations of conditions and the resulting actions shown in a decision table.
Source: ISTQB
A white-box test technique in which test cases are designed to execute decision outcomes.
Ref: After ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
An imperfection or deficiency in a work product where it does not meet its requirements or specifications.
Source: IREB
An imperfection or deficiency in a ↑work product that impairs its intended use.
See also: Fehlertaxonomie
Source: ISTQB
A test technique in which test cases are developed from what is known about a specific defect type.
Ref: After ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
The number of defects per unit size of a work product.
See also: escaped defect
Source: ISTQB
The number of defects found by a test level, divided by the number found by that test level and any other means afterwards.
Source: ISTQB
The process of recognizing, recording, classifying, investigating, resolving and disposing of defects.
Source: ISTQB
A cross-functional team of stakeholders who manage reported defects from initial detection to ultimate resolution (defect removal, defect deferral, or report cancellation). In some cases, the same team as the
Source: ISTQB
Documentation of the occurrence, nature, and status of a defect.
Source: ISTQB
A list of categories designed to identify and classify defects.
Source: ISTQB
The association of a definition of a variable with the subsequent use of that variable.
See also: network zone
Source: ISTQB
A physical or logical subnetwork that contains and exposes an organization's external-facing services to an untrusted network, commonly the Internet.
Source: ISTQB
A security attack that is intended to overload the system with requests such that legitimate requests cannot be serviced.
Source: ISTQB
think aloud usability testing
Source: IREB
1. A plan or drawing produced to show how something will look, function or be structured before it is made. 2. The activity of creating a design. 3. A decorative pattern [This meaning does not apply in the software engineering ↑domain].
Note: 1. In software product development, we distinguish between creative design which shapes the look and feel of the product, i.e., its perceivable form, function and quality, and technical design (also called software design) which determines the inner structure of the product, in particular the software architecture. 2. The creative design of products is also called product design. 3. The creative design of digital solutions is called digital design.
Source: ISTQB
A type of testing in which test suites are executed on physical or virtual devices.
Source: IREB
A template providing a predefined skeleton structure for a document. (→ requirements template)
Source: IREB
A range of relevant things (for some given matter); for example, an ↑application domain.
Source: IREB
A ↑model describing phenomena in an ↑application domain.
Note: 1. In RE, domain models are created with the intention to understand the ↑application domain in which a planned ↑system will be situated. 2. Static domain models specify (business) objects and their relationships in a ↑domain of interest. 3. Domain story models specify visual stories about how actors interact with devices, artifacts, and other items in a ↑domain.
Source: IREB
A ↑domain property in the ↑context of a ↑system that is required to hold.
Source: ISTQB
A temporary component or tool that replaces another component and controls or calls a test item in isolation.
Ref: After ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
The process of evaluating a component or system based on its behavior during execution.
Ref: After ISO 29119-1
See also: statischer Test
Source: ISTQB
Testing that involves the execution of the test item.
Ref: ISO 9241
See also: efficiency
Source: ISTQB
The extent to which correct and complete goals are achieved.
Source: IREB
The degree to which an ↑item produces the intended results.
Ref: IREB Glossary
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which resources are expended in relation to results achieved.
Source: IREB
The degree to which resources are expended in relation to results achieved.
Source: IREB
An umbrella term for requirements ↑elicitation, ↑negotiation and ↑validation.
Source: IREB
→ Requirements elicitation
See also: simulator
Source: ISTQB
Software used during testing that mimics the behavior of hardware.
Source: ISTQB
The process of encoding information so that only authorized parties can retrieve the original information, usually by means of a specific decryption key or process.
Source: ISTQB
A type of testing in which business processes are tested from start to finish under production-like circumstances.
Source: ISTQB
Testing to determine the stability of a system under a significant load over a significant period of time within the system's operational context.
Source: IREB
→ User
Source: IREB
In general: Anything which is perceivable or conceivable (→ item). In entity-relationship-modeling: an individual ↑item which has an identity and does not depend on another item (→ object).
Abbreviation: ERD
Source: IREB
A diagrammatic representation of an ↑entity-relationship model.
Abbreviation: ER Model
Source: IREB
A ↑model of data that are relevant for a ↑system or of the data of an ↑application domain, consisting of a set of entity types that are each characterized by ↑attributes and linked by relationships.
Ref: Gilb and Graham
See also: exit criteria
Source: ISTQB
The set of conditions for officially starting a defined task.
Ref: Wallentowitz
Source: ISTQB
An abstraction of the real environment of a component or system including other components, processes, and environment conditions, in a real-time simulation.
Ref: Agile Alliance
Source: ISTQB
A large user story that cannot be delivered as defined within a single iteration or is large enough that it can be split into smaller user stories.
Source: IREB
In agile development: An abstract description of a ↑stakeholder need which is larger than what can be implemented in a single ↑iteration.
Ref: ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
A human action that produces an incorrect result.
Source: IREB
A human action that produces an incorrect result. A discrepancy between an observed ↑behavior or result and the specified behavior or result.
Ref: ISO 29119-1
Source: ISTQB
A test technique in which tests are derived on the basis of the tester's knowledge of past failures, or
Source: ISTQB
A defect that was not detected by a testing activity that is supposed to find that defect.
Source: ISTQB
A security tester using hacker techniques.
Source: ISTQB
A non-prescriptive framework for an organization's quality management system based on five 'Enabling' criteria and four 'Results' criteria.
Source: IREB
A pilot system forming the core of a ↑system to be developed.
Source: ISTQB
A test approach in which the test suite comprises all combinations of input values and preconditions.
Ref: After Gilb and Graham
Source: ISTQB
The set of conditions for officially completing a defined task.
Ref: After ISO 29119-1
Source: ISTQB
The observable predicted behavior of a test item under specified conditions based on its test basis.
Source: ISTQB
Testing based on the tester's experience, knowledge and intuition.
Source: ISTQB
A test technique only based on the tester's experience, knowledge and intuition.
See also: informal review
Source: ISTQB
An informal usability review in which the reviewers are experts. Experts can be usability experts or subject matter experts, or both.
Source: IREB
A throwaway ↑prototype used to create shared understanding, clarify ↑requirements or validate requirements.
Ref: After ISO 29119-1
Source: ISTQB
An approach to testing whereby the testers dynamically design and execute tests based on their knowledge, exploration of the test item and the results of previous tests.
See also: bestanden
Source: ISTQB
The status of a test result in which the actual result does not match the expected result.
Source: ISTQB
The backup operational mode in which the functions of a system that becomes unavailable are assumed by a secondary system.
Ref: After ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
An event in which a component or system does not perform a required function within specified limits.
Ref: ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
The physical or functional manifestation of a failure.
See also: Failure Mode, Effect and Criticality Analysis
Source: ISTQB
A systematic approach to risk identification and analysis of identifying possible modes of failure and attempting to prevent their occurrence.
Ref: ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
The ratio of the number of failures of a given category to a given unit of measure.
Source: ISTQB
A test result which fails to identify the presence of a defect that is actually present in the test object.
Source: ISTQB
A test result in which a defect is reported although no such defect actually exists in the test object.
Source: ISTQB
The process of intentionally adding a defect to a component or system to determine whether it can detect and possibly recover from it.
Ref: After ISO 24765
See also: Zuverlässigkeit, Robustheit
Source: ISTQB
The process of intentionally adding defects to a component or system to monitor the rate of detection and removal, and to estimate the number of defects remaining.
Ref: After ISO 25010
See also: Zuverlässigkeit, Robustheit
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system operates as intended despite the presence of hardware or software faults.
Source: IREB
The capability of a ↑system to operate as intended despite the presence of (hardware or software) ↑faults.
Source: ISTQB
A technique used to analyze the causes of faults (defects). The technique visually models how logical relationships between failures, human errors, and external events can combine to cause specific faults to disclose.
Source: IREB
The degree to which a ↑requirement for a ↑system can be implemented under existing ↑constraints.
Source: IREB
A distinguishing characteristic of a ↑system that provides value for ↑stakeholders.
Source: IREB
A diagrammatic representation of a ↑feature model.
See also: Agile software development
Source: ISTQB
An iterative and incremental software development process driven from a client-valued functionality (feature) perspective. Feature-driven development is mostly used in Agile software development.
Source: IREB
A ↑model describing the variable features of a ↑product line, including their relationships and dependencies.
Source: ISTQB
A type of testing conducted to evaluate the system behavior under productive connectivity conditions in the field.
Source: ISTQB
A result of an evaluation that identifies some important issue, problem, or opportunity.
Source: ISTQB
A component or set of components that controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules.
Source: ISTQB
A test case generated by applying a metamorphic relation to a source test case during metamorphic
Ref: ISO 20246
Source: ISTQB
A type of review that follows a defined process with a formally documented output.
See also: summative evaluation
Source: ISTQB
A type of evaluation designed and used to improve the quality of a component or system, especially when it is still being designed.
Source: IREB
A template providing a form with predefined fields to be filled-in. (→ requirements template)
Ref: ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which the functions facilitate the accomplishment of specified tasks and objectives.
Ref: ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which the set of functions covers all the specified tasks and user objectives.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system provides the correct results with the needed degree of precision.
Source: IREB
The capabilities of a ↑system as stated by its ↑functional requirements.
Source: IREB
A ↑requirement concerning a result or ↑behavior that shall be provided by a function of a ↑system.
Ref: ISO 26262
Source: ISTQB
The absence of unreasonable risk due to hazards caused by malfunctioning behavior of Electric/Electronic(E/E) - Systems.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system provides functions that meet stated and implied needs when used under specified conditions.
Ref: After ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
Testing performed to evaluate if a component or system satisfies functional requirements.
Source: ISTQB
A software testing technique used to discover security vulnerabilities by inputting massive amounts of random data, called fuzz, to the component or system.
Source: ISTQB
Representation of the layers, components, and interfaces of a test automation architecture, allowing for a structured and modular approach to implement test automation.
Source: IREB
A collection of definitions of terms that are relevant in some ↑domain.
Source: IREB
A desired state of affairs (that a ↑stakeholder wants to achieve).
Source: IREB
A ↑model representing a set ↑goals, sub-goals and the relationships between them.
Source: ISTQB
A type of interface that allows users to interact with a component or system through graphical icons and visual indicators.
See also: attacker
Source: ISTQB
A person or organization who is actively involved in security attacks, usually with malicious intent.
Ref: Automotive SPICE
Source: ISTQB
Dynamic testing performed using real hardware with integrated software in a simulated environment.
Source: ISTQB
Transformation of a variable length string of characters into a usually shorter fixed-length value or key. Hashed values, or hashes, are commonly used in table or database lookups. Cryptographic hash functions are used to secure data.
Source: ISTQB
A generally recognized rule of thumb that helps to achieve a goal.
Source: ISTQB
An evaluation of a work product that uses a heuristic.
See also: low-level test case
Source: ISTQB
A test case with abstract preconditions, input data, expected results, postconditions, and actions (where applicable).
Source: IREB
A term looking identical to another term but having a different meaning.
Ref: ISO 9241-210
Source: ISTQB
An approach to design that aims to make software products more usable by focusing on the use of the software products and applying human factors, ergonomics, and usability knowledge and techniques.
Source: ISTQB
A pointer within a web page that leads to other web pages.
Source: ISTQB
A tool used to check that no broken hyperlinks are present on a website.
Source: ISTQB
An organizational improvement model that serves as a roadmap for initiating, planning, and implementing improvement actions. The IDEAL model is named for the five phases it describes: initiating, diagnosing, establishing, acting, and learning.
Ref: After ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
The identification of all work products affected by a change, including an estimate of the resources needed to accomplish the change.
Ref: After PMBOK
Source: ISTQB
A type of software development lifecycle model in which the component or system is developed through a series of increments.
Source: IREB
An addition to a ↑system under development that extends, enhances or refactors (↑refactoring) the existing parts of the system.
Ref: After DO-178C
Source: ISTQB
Separation of responsibilities, which encourages the accomplishment of objective testing.
Source: ISTQB
An organization responsible to test and certify that the software, hardware, firmware, platform, and operating system follow all the jurisdictional rules for each location where the product will be used.
Source: ISTQB
A type of review that does not follow a defined process and has no formally documented output.
Ref: NIST.IR.7298
Source: ISTQB
Measures that protect and defend information and information systems by ensuring their availability, integrity, authentication, confidentiality, and non-repudiation. These measures include providing for restoration of information systems by incorporating protection, detection, and reaction capabilities.
Source: ISTQB
A test level that focuses on the quality of the data used for training and prediction by ML models.
Source: ISTQB
A security threat originating from within the organization, often by an authorized system user.
Source: ISTQB
Testing performed by people who are co-located with the project team but are not fellow employees.
Ref: After ISO 20246
Source: ISTQB
A type of formal review to identify issues in a work product, which provides measurement to improve the review process and the software development process.
Source: IREB
A formal ↑review of a ↑work product by a group of experts according to given criteria, following a defined procedure.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system can be successfully installed and/or uninstalled in a specified environment.
See also: Komponentenintegrationstest, Systemintegrationstest
Source: ISTQB
A test level that focuses on interactions between components or systems.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system allows only authorized access and modification to a component, a system or data.
Ref: After ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
A type of integration testing performed to determine whether components or systems pass data and
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which two or more components or systems can exchange information and use the information that has been exchanged.
See also: malware scanning
Source: ISTQB
A system which monitors activities on the 7 layers of the OSI model from network to application level, to detect violations of the security policy.
Source: IREB
Anything which is perceivable or conceivable.
Source: IREB
In general: The repetition of something, for example, a procedure, a process or a piece of program code. In agile development: A ↑timeboxed unit of work in which a development team implements an ↑increment to the ↑system under development.
Source: ISTQB
A type of software development lifecycle model in which the component or system is developed through a series of repeated cycles.
See also: datengetriebenes Testen
Source: ISTQB
A scripting technique in which test scripts contain high-level keywords and supporting files that contain low-level scripts that implement those keywords.
Source: IREB
A classification of requirements according to their kind into ↑system requirements (consisting of ↑functional requirements, ↑quality requirements and ↑constraints), project requirements, and process requirements.
Note: 1. RE is primarily concerned with system requirements. 2. Quality requirements and constraints are also called ↑non-functional requirements.
Source: IREB
A structured set of signs for expressing and communicating information.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals of learning with satisfaction and freedom from risk in a specified context of use.
Source: ISTQB
The level to which a test object is modified by adjusting it for testability.
See also: test plan
Source: ISTQB
A test plan that typically addresses one test level.
Source: ISTQB
A simple scripting technique without any control structure in the test scripts.
See also: load testing
Source: ISTQB
The process of simulating a defined set of activities at a specified load to be submitted to a component or system.
See also: Lasttest
Source: ISTQB
A tool that generates a load for a system under test.
Source: ISTQB
The control and execution of load generation, and performance monitoring and reporting of the component or system.
Source: ISTQB
Documentation defining a designated number of virtual users who process a defined set of transactions in a specified time period that a component or system being tested may experience in production.
Ref: After ISO 29119-1
See also: performance testing, stress testing
Source: ISTQB
A type of performance testing conducted to evaluate the behavior of a component or system under varying loads, usually between anticipated conditions of low, typical, and peak usage.
See also: high-level test case
Source: ISTQB
A test case with concrete values for preconditions, input data, expected results, postconditions, and a detailed description of actions (where applicable).
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system can be modified by the intended maintainers.
Source: IREB
The ease with which a ↑system can be modified by the intended maintainers.
Ref: After ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
The process of modifying a component or system after delivery to correct defects, improve quality characteristics, or adapt to a changed environment.
Source: ISTQB
Testing the changes to an operational system or the impact of a changed environment to an operational system.
Source: ISTQB
Software that is intended to harm a system or its components.
See also: intrusion detection system
Source: ISTQB
Static analysis aiming to detect and remove malicious code received at an interface.
Ref: After ISO 24765, IEEE 1028
Source: ISTQB
A systematic evaluation of software acquisition, supply, development, operation, or maintenance process, performed by or on behalf of management that monitors progress, determines the status of plans and schedules, confirms requirements and their system allocation, or evaluates the effectiveness of management approaches to achieve fitness for purpose.
Ref: After Garvin
See also: product-based quality, transcendent-based quality, user-based quality, value-based quality
Source: ISTQB
A view of quality measured by the degree that a product or service conforms to its intended design and requirements based on the process used.
See also: test plan
Source: ISTQB
A test plan that is used to coordinate multiple test levels or test types.
Source: ISTQB
Testing to determine the correctness of the pay table implementation, the random number generator
Ref: ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
(1) The capability of an organization with respect to the effectiveness and efficiency of its processes and work practices. (2) The degree to which a component or system meets needs for reliability under normal operation.
Source: ISTQB
A structured collection of elements that describe certain aspects of maturity in an organization, and aid in the definition and understanding of an organization's processes.
Source: ISTQB
Any model used in model-based testing.
See also: mean time to repair, mean time to failure
Source: ISTQB
The average time between consecutive failures of a component or system.
See also: mean time between failures
Source: ISTQB
The average time from the start of operation to a failure for a component or system.
Source: ISTQB
The average time a component or system will take to recover from a failure.
Ref: After ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
The process of assigning a number or category to an entity to describe an attribute of that entity.
Source: ISTQB
A memory access failure due to a defect in a program's dynamic store allocation logic that causes it to fail to release memory after it has finished using it.
Ref: ISO 29119-11
Source: ISTQB
A description of how a change in the test inputs from the source test case to the follow-up test case affects a change in the expected outputs from the source test case to the follow-up test case.
Source: ISTQB
A test technique in which the inputs and expected results are extrapolated from a passing test case using a metamorphic relation.
Source: IREB
The systematic application of a ↑technique (or a set of techniques) to achieve an objective or create a ↑work product.
Source: ISTQB
A test strategy whereby the test team uses a pre-determined set of test conditions such as a quality standard, a checklist, or a collection of generalized, logical test conditions which may relate to a particular domain, application or type of testing.
Source: IREB
The systematic study of ↑methods in a particular field, in particular, how to select, apply or evaluate methods systematically in a given situation. A set of ↑methods being applied in some combination.
Ref: ISO 26262
Source: ISTQB
A table containing different test approaches, testing techniques and test types that are required depending on the Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) and on the context of the test object.
Ref: ISO 14598
Source: ISTQB
A measurement scale and the method used for measurement.
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which an ML model meets ML functional performance criteria.
Source: ISTQB
Criteria based on ML functional performance metrics used as a basis for model evaluation, tuning and testing.
Source: ISTQB
A set of measures that relate to the functional correctness of an ML system.
Source: ISTQB
An implementation of machine learning (ML) that generates a prediction, classification or recommendation based on input data.
Source: ISTQB
A test level that focuses on the ability of an ML model to meet required ML functional performance criteria and non-functional criteria.
Source: IREB
A medium-fidelity ↑prototype that demonstrates characteristics of a user interface without implementing any real ↑functionality.
Source: IREB
An abstract representation of an existing part of reality or a part of reality to be created.
Note: 1. The notion of reality includes any conceivable set of elements, phenomena, or concepts, including other models. 2. Models are always built for specific purposes in a specific context. 3. With respect to a model, the modeled part of reality is called the original. 4. In RE, ↑requirements can be specified with models.
Source: ISTQB
Testing based on or involving models.
Source: ISTQB
A test strategy whereby the test team derives testware from models.
Source: ISTQB
The coverage of model elements.
Source: IREB
A ↑language for expressing ↑models of a certain kind. May be textual, graphic, symbolic or some combination thereof.
Ref: Automotive SPICE
Source: ISTQB
Dynamic testing performed using a simulation model of the system in a simulated environment.
Source: ISTQB
(1) The person responsible for running review meetings. (2) The person who performs a usability test session.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system can be modified without degrading its quality.
Source: IREB
The degree to which a ↑work product or ↑system can be modified without degrading its ↑quality.
Source: ISTQB
The coverage of all outcomes of the atomic conditions that independently affect the overall decision outcome.
Source: ISTQB
A white-box test technique in which test cases are designed to exercise outcomes of atomic conditions that independently affect a decision outcome.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a system is composed of discrete components such that a change to one component has minimal impact on other components.
Ref: ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
A software tool or hardware device that runs concurrently with the component or system under test and supervises, records and/or analyzes the behavior of the component or system.
Source: ISTQB
Testing to determine if many players can simultaneously interact with the casino game world, with computer-controlled opponents, game servers, and with each other, as expected according to the game design.
Source: ISTQB
The coverage of all possible combinations of all single condition outcomes within one statement.
Source: ISTQB
A white-box test technique in which test cases are designed to exercise outcome combinations of atomic conditions.
Source: IREB
→ Cardinality
Source: ISTQB
An indicator of psychological preference representing the different personalities and communication styles of people.
Source: IREB
A high-fidelity ↑prototype that implements critical parts of a ↑system to an extent that ↑stakeholders can use the prototype to see whether the prototyped part of the system will work and behave as expected.
Source: IREB
The degree to which an individual ↑requirement is a necessary part of the ↑requirements specification of a ↑system.
Source: ISTQB
Testing a component or system in a way for which it was not intended to be used.
Source: ISTQB
A type of integration testing in which all of the nodes that connect to a given node are the basis for the integration testing.
Source: ISTQB
A sub-network with a defined level of trust. For example, the Internet or a public zone would be considered to be untrusted.
Source: ISTQB
The coverage of activated neurons in the neural network for a set of tests.
Source: IREB
A ↑quality requirement or a ↑constraint.
Source: ISTQB
Testing performed to evaluate that a component or system complies with non-functional requirements.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which actions or events can be proven to have taken place, so that the actions or events cannot be repudiated later.
Ref: Chow
Source: ISTQB
The coverage of sequences of N+1 transitions.
Source: IREB
1. In general: Anything which is perceivable or conceivable (→ item). 2. In software engineering: an individual ↑item which has an identity, is characterized by the values of its ↑attributes and does not depend on another item (→ entity).
Source: IREB
A diagrammatic representation of an ↑object model.
Source: IREB
A ↑model describing a set of ↑objects and relationships between them.
Source: ISTQB
Model-based test approach whereby test cases are generated into a repository for future execution.
Source: ISTQB
Model-based test approach whereby test cases are generated and executed simultaneously.
Ref: Bakshi
Source: ISTQB
A system in which controlling action or input is independent of the output or changes in output.
Source: ISTQB
A software tool that is available to all potential users in source code form, usually via the internet. Its users are permitted, usually under license, to study, change, improve and, at times, to distribute the software.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system has attributes that make it easy to operate and control.
Source: ISTQB
A type of acceptance testing performed to determine if operations and/or systems administration staff can accept a system.
Source: ISTQB
An actual or predicted pattern of use of the component or system.
See also: operational profile
Source: ISTQB
The process of developing and implementing an operational profile.
Source: ISTQB
Testing performed by people who are not co-located with the project team and are not fellow employees.
Source: ISTQB
An approach in which two team members simultaneously collaborate on testing a work product.
Source: ISTQB
A type of integration testing that targets pairs of components that work together as shown in a call graph.
Ref: After ISO 29119-4
Source: ISTQB
A black-box test technique in which test cases are designed to exercise pairs of parameter-value pairs
Source: ISTQB
Testing to determine that the game returns the correct mathematical results to the screen, to the players'accounts, and to the casino account.
See also: fehlgeschlagen
Source: ISTQB
The status of a test result in which the actual result matches the expected result.
Ref: After ISO 29119-1
Source: ISTQB
Decision rules used to determine whether a test item has passed or failed.
Ref: after NIST.IR.7298
Source: ISTQB
A security attack recovering secret passwords stored in a computer system or transmitted over a network.
Source: ISTQB
A sequence of consecutive edges in a directed graph.
Source: ISTQB
A white-box test technique in which test cases are designed to execute paths in a control flow graph.
Ref: After ISO 20246
Source: ISTQB
A review performed by others with the same abilities to create the work product.
Source: ISTQB
A testing technique aiming to exploit security vulnerabilities (known or unknown) to gain unauthorized access.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system uses time, resources and capacity when accomplishing its designated functions.
Ref: After ISO 33001
Source: ISTQB
A metric that supports the judgment of process performance.
Source: IREB
A ↑requirement describing a performance characteristic (timing, speed, volume, capacity, throughput, ...).
Source: ISTQB
Testing to determine the performance efficiency of a component or system.
Source: ISTQB
A test tool that generates load for a designated test item and that measures and records its performance during test execution.
Source: IREB
A fictitious character representing a group of ↑users with similar needs, values and habits who are expected to use a ↑system in a similar way.
Source: ISTQB
A review technique in which a work product is evaluated from the perspective of different stakeholders with the purpose to derive other work products.
Source: ISTQB
A security attack intended to redirect a website's traffic to a fraudulent website without the user's knowledge or consent.
Source: ISTQB
The percentage of defects that are removed in the same phase of the software lifecycle in which they were introduced.
Source: ISTQB
An attempt to acquire personal or sensitive information by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication.
Source: IREB
A template for the syntactic structure of a phrase that expresses an individual ↑requirement or a ↑user story in ↑natural language. (→ requirements template)
Source: ISTQB
Testing done by testers from a player's perspective to validate player satisfaction.
Ref: ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
A data item that specifies the location of another data item.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system can be transferred from one hardware, software or other operational or usage environment to another.
Source: IREB
The ease with which a ↑system can be transferred to another platform while preserving its characteristics.
Source: ISTQB
The expected state of a test item and its environment at the end of test case execution.
Source: ISTQB
A type of testing to ensure that the release is performed correctly and the application can be deployed.
Source: IREB
A proven way of how to carry out certain types of ↑tasks or ↑activities.
Source: ISTQB
The required state of a test item and its environment prior to test case execution.
Source: IREB
The process of assigning priorities to a set of ↑items.
Source: ISTQB
The level of (business) importance assigned to an item, e.g., defect.
Source: IREB
The level of importance assigned to an ↑item, e.g., a ↑requirement or a ↑defect, according to certain criteria.
Source: ISTQB
A systematic approach to risk-based testing that employs product risk identification and analysis to create a product risk matrix based on likelihood and impact. Term is derived from Product RISk MAnagement.
Source: IREB
A difficulty, open question or undesirable condition that needs investigation, consideration, or solution.
Source: IREB
A set of interrelated ↑activities performed in a given order to process information or materials.
Ref: after ISO 15504
Source: ISTQB
A disciplined evaluation of an organization's software processes against a reference model.
Source: ISTQB
A scripting technique where scripts are structured into scenarios which represent use cases of the software under test. The scripts can be parameterized with test data.
Source: ISTQB
A framework in which processes of the same nature are classified into an overall model.
Source: IREB
A ↑model describing a ↑process or a set of related processes.
Source: IREB
An abstract, reusable ↑model of a ↑process which can be used to configure and instantiate a concrete process for a given situation and ↑context.
Source: IREB
An ordered, typically prioritized collection of work items that a development team has to work on when developing or evolving a ↑system.
Ref: After Garvin
Source: ISTQB
A view of quality measured by the degree that well-defined quality characteristics are met.
Source: IREB
A software-based ↑system or a ↑service provided by a system which is developed and marketed by a ↑supplier and used by ↑customers.
Source: IREB
A jointly managed set of systems (provided as products or services) that share a common core and have a configurable set of ↑variants for satisfying needs of particular ↑customers or market segments.
Source: IREB
A person responsible for a ↑product in terms of ↑functionality, value and ↑risk.
See also: risk
Source: ISTQB
A risk impacting the quality of a product.
See also: risk
Source: ISTQB
A risk that impacts project success.
Source: IREB
1. In manufacturing: A piece which is built prior to the start of mass production. 2. In software and systems engineering: A preliminary, partial realization of certain characteristics of a ↑system. 3. In design: A preliminary, partial instance of a design solution.
Note: 1. In RE, prototypes are used as a means for requirements ↑elicitation (see ↑specification by example) and ↑validation. 2. Prototypes in RE can be classified (a) with respect to their degree of fidelity into ↑native prototypes, ↑mock-ups and ↑wireframes; (b) with respect to their purpose into ↑exploratory prototypes and ↑evolutionary prototypes.
Source: IREB
A ↑process that involves the creation and evaluation of ↑prototypes.
Ref: ISO 29119-11
Source: ISTQB
An independently derived variant of the test item used to generate results, which are compared with the results of the original test item based on the same test inputs.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system satisfies the stated and implied needs of its various stakeholders.
Source: IREB
1. In general: The degree to which a set of inherent characteristics of an item fulfills ↑requirements. 2. In systems and software engineering: The degree to which a ↑system satisfies stated and implied needs of its ↑stakeholders.
Ref: After ISO 24765
See also: quality management
Source: ISTQB
Activities focused on providing confidence that quality requirements will be fulfilled.
Ref: ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
A category of quality attributes that bears on work product quality.
Ref: after ISO 24765
See also: testing
Source: ISTQB
A set of activities designed to evaluate the quality of a component or system.
Ref: ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
A facilitated workshop technique that helps determine critical characteristics for new product development.
Ref: After ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
The process of establishing and directing a quality policy, quality objectives, quality planning, quality control, quality assurance, and quality improvement for an organization.
Source: IREB
A ↑requirement that pertains to a quality concern that is not covered by ↑functional requirements.
See also: quality characteristic, product risk
Source: ISTQB
A product risk related to a quality characteristic.
Source: ISTQB
A matrix describing the participation by various roles in completing tasks or deliverables for a project or process. It is especially useful in clarifying roles and responsibilities. RACI is an acronym derived from the four key responsibilities most typically used: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed.
Source: ISTQB
A technique for decreasing the load on a system in a measurable and controlled way.
Source: ISTQB
A technique for increasing the load on a system in a measurable and controlled way.
Source: ISTQB
A black-box test technique in which test cases are designed by generating random independent inputs to match an operational profile.
Source: ISTQB
Testing that dynamically responds to the behavior of the test object and to test results being obtained.
Source: ISTQB
A test strategy whereby the test team waits to design and implement tests until the software is received, reacting to the actual system under test.
Source: ISTQB
The exploration of a target area aiming to gain information that can be useful for an attack.
Ref: After ISO 25010
See also: Zuverlässigkeit
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system can recover the data directly affected by an interruption or a failure and re-establish the desired state of the component or system.
Source: IREB
Multiple occurrence of the same information or resource.
Source: IREB
The improvement of the internal ↑quality of source code, particularly the structure of the code, without changing its observable behavior.
Source: ISTQB
A test strategy whereby the test team applies various techniques to manage the risk of regression such as functional and/or non-functional regression test automation at one or more levels.
Source: ISTQB
A type of change-related testing to detect whether defects have been introduced or uncovered in unchanged areas of the software.
Source: ISTQB
A type of acceptance testing performed to verify whether a system conforms to relevant laws, policies and regulations.
Source: IREB
A ↑configuration that has been released for installation and use by ↑customers.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system performs specified functions under specified conditions for a specified period of time.
Source: IREB
The degree to which a ↑system performs specified functions under specified conditions for a specified period of time.
Source: ISTQB
A model that shows the growth in reliability over time of a component or system as a result of the defect removal.
Source: ISTQB
A facility that provides remote access to a test environment.
Ref: After ISO 25010
See also: Übertragbarkeit
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system can replace another specified component or system for the same purpose in the same environment.
Ref: ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
A provision that contains criteria to be fulfilled.
Source: IREB
1. A need perceived by a ↑stakeholder. 2. A capability or property that a ↑system shall have. 3. A documented representation of a need, capability or property.
Source: IREB
1. Analysis of elicited ↑requirements in order to understand and document them. 2. Synonym for ↑Requirements Engineering.
Source: ISTQB
An approach to testing in which test cases are designed based on requirements.
Source: IREB
A ↑baseline for a set of ↑requirements.
Source: IREB
Branch
Source: IREB
Configuration
Source: IREB
1. A situation where two or more ↑requirements cannot be satisfied together. 2. A situation where two or more ↑stakeholders disagree about certain ↑requirements.
Source: IREB
A document consisting of a ↑requirements specification.
Source: IREB
The process of seeking, capturing and consolidating ↑requirements from available ↑sources, potentially including the re-construction or creation of requirements.
Source: IREB
A person who – in collaboration with ↑stakeholders – elicits, documents, validates, and manages ↑requirements.
Abbreviation: RE
Source: IREB
The systematic and disciplined approach to the ↑specification and management of ↑requirements with the goal of understanding the ↑stakeholders’ desires and needs and minimizing the risk of delivering a ↑system that does not meet these desires and needs.
Source: IREB
The process of managing existing ↑requirements and requirements-related ↑work products, including the storing, changing and tracing of requirements (↑traceability).
Source: IREB
A ↑model that has been created with the purpose of specifying ↑requirements.
Source: IREB
A ↑process where ↑stakeholders are working toward reaching an agreement to resolve ↑requirements conflicts.
Source: IREB
The source from which a ↑requirement has been derived.
Source: IREB
A systematically represented collection of ↑requirements, typically for a ↑system, that satisfies given criteria.
Note: 1. In some situations we distinguish between a ↑customer requirements specification (typically written by the ↑customer) and a ↑system requirements specification or ↑software requirements specification (written by the supplier). 2. Requirements specification may also denote the ↑process of specifying (↑eliciting, documenting and ↑validating) requirements.
Source: IREB
A template for specifying ↑requirements.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which the amounts and types of resources used by a component or system, when performing its functions, meet requirements.
Ref: After SAFe
Source: ISTQB
A regular event in which team members discuss results, review their practices, and identify ways to improve.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a work product can be used in more than one system, or in building other work products.
Source: ISTQB
A type of static testing in which a work product or process is evaluated by one or more individuals to detect defects or to provide improvements.
Source: IREB
An evaluation of a ↑work product by an individual or a group in order to find problems or suggest improvements.
Ref: After ISO 20246
Source: ISTQB
A participant in a review who identifies issues in the work product.
Source: ISTQB
A factor that could result in future negative consequences.
Source: IREB
A possible event that threatens the success of an endeavor.
Source: ISTQB
The overall process of risk identification and risk assessment.
See also: Produktrisiko, Projektrisiko, Risiko, Schadensausmaß des Risikos, Risikostufe, Eintrittswahrscheinlichkeit des Risikos
Source: ISTQB
The process to examine identified risks and determine the risk level.
Ref: After ISO 29119-1
Source: ISTQB
Testing in which the management, selection, prioritization, and use of testing activities and resources are based on corresponding risk types and risk levels.
Ref: ISO 31000
Source: ISTQB
The process of finding, recognizing and describing risks.
Source: ISTQB
The damage that will be caused if the risk becomes an actual outcome or event.
Source: ISTQB
The qualitative or quantitative measure of a risk defined by impact and likelihood.
Source: ISTQB
The probability that a risk will become an actual outcome or event.
Ref: After ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
The process for handling risks.
Source: ISTQB
The process through which decisions are reached and protective measures are implemented for reducing or maintaining risks to specified levels.
Source: IREB
1. A part played by a person in a given context. 2. In ↑UML ↑class models: The parts played by the linked ↑objects in an ↑association.
Source: ISTQB
A review technique in which a work product is evaluated from the perspective of different stakeholders.
Ref: CMMI
Source: ISTQB
A source of a defect such that if it is removed, the occurrence of the defect type is decreased or removed.
Source: ISTQB
An analysis technique aimed at identifying the root causes of defects. By directing corrective measures at root causes, it is hoped that the likelihood of defect recurrence will be minimized.
Source: IREB
The capability of a ↑system to achieve an acceptable level of probability that the system, under defined conditions, will not reach a state in which human life, health, property, or the environment is endangered.
Ref: After IEC 61508
See also: automotive safety integrity level
Source: ISTQB
The level of risk reduction provided by a safety function, related to the frequency and severity of perceived hazards.
See also: hashing
Source: ISTQB
A cryptographic technique that adds random data (salt) to the user data prior to hashing.
Ref: After Gerrard
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system can be adjusted for changing capacity.
Source: ISTQB
Testing to determine the scalability of the software product.
Source: IREB
1. In general: A description of a potential sequence of events that lead to a desired (or unwanted) result. 2. In RE: An ordered sequence of interactions between partners, in particular between a ↑system and external ↑actors. May be a concrete sequence (instance scenario) or a set of potential sequences (type scenario, ↑use case).
Source: ISTQB
A review technique in which a work product is evaluated to determine its ability to address specific scenarios.
Source: IREB
The range of things that can be shaped and designed when developing a ↑system.
Ref: After ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
A person who records information at a review meeting.
Source: ISTQB
Testing (manual or automated) that follows a test script.
See also: hacker
Source: ISTQB
A person who executes security attacks that have been created by other hackers rather than creating one's own attacks.
Source: IREB
A popular ↑process framework for ↑agile development of a ↑system.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system protects its data and resources against unauthorized access or use and secures unobstructed access and use for its legitimate users.
Source: IREB
The degree to which a ↑system protects its data and resources against unauthorized access or use and secures unobstructed access and use for its legitimate ↑users.
Ref: after NIST.IR.7298
Source: ISTQB
An attempt to gain unauthorized access to a component or system, resources, information, or an attempt to compromise system integrity.
Source: ISTQB
An audit evaluating an organization's security processes and infrastructure.
Source: ISTQB
A high-level document describing the principles, approach and major objectives of the organization regarding security.
Source: ISTQB
A set of steps required to implement the security policy and the steps to be taken in response to a security incident.
Source: ISTQB
A quality risk related to security.
Source: ISTQB
Testing to determine the security of the software product.
Source: ISTQB
A weakness in the system that could allow for a successful security attack.
Source: ISTQB
probe effect
Source: IREB
The meaning of a sign or a set of signs in a ↑language.
Source: IREB
Something which is formal to some extent, but not completely.
Source: IREB
A diagram type in ↑UML which models the interactions between a selected set of ↑objects and/or ↑actors in the sequential order in which those interactions occur.
Source: ISTQB
A type of software development lifecycle model in which a complete system is developed in a linear way of several discrete and successive phases with no overlap between them.
Source: IREB
The provision of some ↑functionality to a human or a ↑system by a provider (a system, organization, group or individual) that delivers value to the receiver.
Source: ISTQB
A technique to enable virtual delivery of services which are deployed, accessed and managed remotely.
Source: ISTQB
An approach in which test activities are planned as test sessions.
Source: ISTQB
A method for measuring and managing session-based testing.
Ref: Nach IEEE 610
Source: ISTQB
The degree of impact that a defect has on the development or operation of a component or system.
Source: ISTQB
A programming language/interpreter technique for evaluating compound conditions in which a condition on one side of a logical operator may not be evaluated if the condition on the other side is sufficient to determine the final outcome.
Source: ISTQB
The coverage of neurons activated with both positive and negative activation values in a neural network for a set of tests.
Ref: After ISO 29119-11
Source: ISTQB
The coverage achieved if by changing the sign of each neuron it can be shown to individually cause one neuron in the next layer to change sign while all other neurons in the next layer do not change sign for a set of tests.
Ref: After ISO 24765
See also: emulator
Source: ISTQB
A component or system used during testing which behaves or operates like a given component or system.
Source: ISTQB
A methodology whereby objectives are defined very specifically rather than generically. SMART is an acronym derived from the attributes of the objective to be defined: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely.
Source: ISTQB
A test suite that covers the main functionality of a component or system to determine whether it works properly before planned testing begins.
Ref: NIST.IR.7298
Source: ISTQB
An attempt to trick someone into revealing information (e.g., a password) that can be used to attack systems or networks.
Source: ISTQB
The activities performed at each stage in software development, and how they relate to one another logically and chronologically.
Ref: Automotive SPICE
Source: ISTQB
Dynamic testing performed using real software in a simulated environment or with experimental hardware.
Source: ISTQB
The period of time that begins when a software product is conceived and ends when the software is no longer available for use. The software lifecycle typically includes a concept phase, requirements phase, design phase, implementation phase, test phase, installation and checkout phase, operation and maintenance phase, and sometimes, retirement phase. Note these phases may overlap or be performed iteratively.
Ref: After CMMI
Source: ISTQB
A program of activities designed to improve the performance and maturity of the organization's software processes and the results of such a program.
Ref: Automotive SPICE
Source: ISTQB
Testing performed on completed, integrated software to provide evidence for compliance with software requirements.
Abbreviation: SRS
Source: IREB
A ↑requirements specification pertaining to a software ↑system.
Ref: Kirakowski93
Source: ISTQB
A questionnaire-based usability testing tool that measures and benchmarks user experience.
Source: IREB
→ Requirements source
Source: ISTQB
A test case that passed and is used as the basis of follow-up test cases in metamorphic testing.
Source: IREB
1. As a work product: A systematically represented description of the properties of an ↑item (a ↑system, a device, etc.) that satisfies given criteria. 2. As a process: the process of specifying (↑eliciting, documenting and ↑validating) the properties of an ↑item.
Source: IREB
A ↑technique that specifies test cases and ↑requirements for a ↑system by providing examples of how the system should behave.
See also: acceptance test-driven development
Source: ISTQB
A development technique in which the specification is defined by examples.
Source: IREB
An artificial ↑language that has been created for expressing ↑specifications.
Source: IREB
In agile development: A task aimed at gaining insight or gathering information, rather than at producing a ↑product ↑increment.
Source: ISTQB
Testing to determine the ability of a system to recover from sudden bursts of peak loads and return to a steady state.
Source: IREB
A ↑language that people use for speaking and writing in everyday life.
Source: IREB
An ↑iteration in ↑agile development, particularly when using ↑Scrum.
Source: IREB
A set of ↑product backlog items that have been selected to be implemented in the current ↑sprint.
Source: ISTQB
A type of code injection in the structured query language (SQL).
Source: IREB
A person or organization who influences a ↑system’s ↑requirements or who is impacted by that system.
Source: IREB
A ↑requirement expressing a ↑stakeholder desire or need.
Ref: After CMMI
Source: ISTQB
Formal, possibly mandatory, set of requirements developed and used to prescribe consistent approaches to the way of working or to provide guidelines (e.g., ISO/IEC standards, IEEE standards, and organizational standards).
Source: IREB
A formal, possibly mandatory set of regulations for how to interpret, develop, manufacture, or execute something.
Source: ISTQB
A test strategy whereby the test team follows a standard. Standards followed may be valid e.g., for a country (legislation standards), a business domain (domain standards), or internally (organizational standards).
Source: IREB
A ↑state machine having states that are hierarchically and/or orthogonally decomposed.
Source: IREB
A ↑model describing the behavior of a ↑system by a finite set of states and state transitions. State transitions are triggered by events and can in turn trigger actions and new events.
Source: IREB
A diagrammatic representation of a ↑state machine.
Source: ISTQB
An entity in a programming language, which is typically the smallest indivisible unit of execution.
Source: ISTQB
The coverage of executable statements.
Source: ISTQB
A white-box test technique in which test cases are designed to execute statements.
Source: IREB
→ State machine diagram
Source: ISTQB
A black-box test technique in which test cases are designed to exercise elements of a state transition model.
Ref: After ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
The process of evaluating a component or system without executing it, based on its form, structure, content, or documentation.
See also: dynamic testing
Source: ISTQB
Testing that does not involve the execution of a test item.
Source: IREB
A committee that supervises a project.
Source: IREB
A series of sketches or pictures that visualize the execution of a ↑scenario.
Source: IREB
→ User story
Source: IREB
A two-dimensional arrangement of ↑user stories.
Ref: ISO 24765
See also: Performanztest, Lasttest
Source: ISTQB
A type of performance testing conducted to evaluate a system or component at or beyond the limits of its anticipated or specified workloads, or with reduced availability of resources such as access to memory or servers.
Source: ISTQB
Coverage measures based on the internal structure of a component or system.
Source: IREB
An approach for specifying the ↑functionality of a system based on a hierarchy of ↑data flow diagrams. Data flows as well as persistent data are defined in a data dictionary. A ↑context diagram models the sources of incoming and the destinations of outgoing ↑data flows.
Source: ISTQB
A scripting technique that builds and utilizes a library of reusable (parts of) scripts.
Ref: After ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
A skeletal or special-purpose implementation of a software component, used to develop or test a component that calls or is otherwise dependent on it. It replaces a called component.
See also: formative evaluation, testing
Source: ISTQB
A type of evaluation designed and used to gather conclusions about the quality of a component or system, especially when a substantial part of it has completed design.
Source: IREB
A person or organization who delivers a ↑product or ↑service to a ↑customer.
Source: IREB
A word having the same meaning as another word.
Source: IREB
The rules for constructing structured signs in a ↑language.
Important: In all definitions referring to system in this glossary, system is an umbrella term which includes ↑Products provided to ↑customers, ↑Services made available to ↑customers, Other work products such as devices, procedures or tools that help people or organizations achieve some goal, System ↑components or ↑compositions of systems.
Source: IREB
1. In general: A principle for ordering and structuring. 2. In engineering: A coherent, delimitable set of elements that – by coordinated action – achieve some purpose.
Note: 1. A system may comprise other systems or ↑components as sub-systems. 2. The purposes achieved by a system may be delivered by deploying the system at the place(s) where it is used, selling/providing the system as a ↑product to its ↑users, having providers who offer the system’s capabilities as ↑services to users. 3. Systems containing both software and physical ↑components are called cyber- physical systems. 4. Systems spanning software, hardware, people and organizational aspects are called socio-technical systems.
See also: inhaltsbasiertes Modell
Source: ISTQB
A structured testing methodology also used as a content-based model for improving the testing process. It does not require that improvements occur in a specific order.
Source: IREB
The boundary between a ↑system and its surrounding ↑context.
Note: 1. The system boundary delimits the system as it shall be after its implementation and deployment. 2. At the system boundary, the external interfaces between the ↑system and its ↑context have to be defined. 3. The system boundary frequently coincides with the ↑scope of a ↑system (which denotes the range of things that can be shaped and designed). However, this is not always the case: there may be components within the system boundary that have to be re-used as they are (i.e., cannot be shaped nor designed), while in the system context there may be things that can be re-designed when the system is developed (which means that they are in scope).
Source: IREB
The part of a ↑system’s environment that is relevant for the definition as well as the understanding of the ↑requirements of a ↑system to be developed.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
compatibility
Source: ISTQB
The step-by-step process of reducing the security vulnerabilities of a system by applying a security policy and different layers of protection.
Source: ISTQB
A test level that focuses on interactions between systems.
Source: ISTQB
Multiple heterogeneous, distributed systems that are embedded in networks at multiple levels and in multiple interconnected domains, addressing large-scale inter-disciplinary common problems and purposes, usually without a common management structure.
Ref: Automotive SPICE
Source: ISTQB
Testing performed on the completed, integrated system of software components, hardware components, and mechanics to provide evidence for compliance with system requirements and that the complete system is ready for delivery.
Source: IREB
A ↑requirement pertaining to a ↑system.
Abbreviation: SyRS
Source: IREB
A ↑requirements specification pertaining to a ↑system.
Source: ISTQB
A test level that focuses on verifying that a system as a whole meets specified requirements.
Ref: After ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
The amount of data passing through a component or system in a given time period.
Source: ISTQB
A type of test object that is a system.
Source: ISTQB
A simple, ten-item attitude scale giving a global view of subjective assessments of usability.
Source: IREB
A coherent chunk of work to be done.
Source: ISTQB
A formal review by technical experts that examine the quality of a work product and identify discrepancies from specifications and standards.
Source: IREB
A documented set of coherent actions for accomplishing a ↑task or achieving an objective.
Ref: IEEE 829
Source: ISTQB
A set of one or more test cases.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which test conditions can be established for a component or system, and tests can be performed to determine whether those test conditions have been met.
Source: ISTQB
The layer in a test automation architecture which provides the necessary code to adapt test scripts on an abstract level to the various components, configuration or interfaces of the SUT.
Source: ISTQB
The activity that identifies test conditions by analyzing the test basis.
Source: ISTQB
The implementation of the test strategy for a specific project.
Source: ISTQB
(1) A person who provides guidance and strategic direction for a test organization and for its relationship with other disciplines. (2) A person who defines the way testing is structured for a given system, including topics such as test tools and test data management.
Source: ISTQB
The use of software to perform or support test activities.
Source: ISTQB
An instantiation of the generic test automation architecture to define the architecture of a test automation solution, i.e., its layers, components, services and interfaces.
Source: ISTQB
A person who is responsible for the design, implementation and maintenance of a test automation architecture as well as the technical evolution of the resulting test automation solution.
Source: ISTQB
A tool that provides an environment for test automation. It usually includes a test harness and test libraries.
Source: ISTQB
A person who is responsible for the planning and supervision of the development and evolution of a test automation solution.
Source: ISTQB
A realization/implementation of a test automation architecture, i.e., a combination of components implementing a specific test automation assignment. The components may include commercial off-the-shelf test tools, test automation frameworks, as well as test hardware.
Source: ISTQB
A high-level plan to achieve long-term objectives of test automation under given boundary conditions.
Ref: After TMap
Source: ISTQB
The body of knowledge used as the basis for test analysis and design.
Source: ISTQB
A set of preconditions, inputs, actions (where applicable), expected results and postconditions, developed based on test conditions.
Source: ISTQB
Documentation of the goal or objective for a test session.
See also: Testprozess
Source: ISTQB
During the test closure phase of a test process data is collected from completed activities to consolidate experience, testware, facts and numbers. The test closure phase consists of finalizing and archiving the testware and evaluating the test process, including preparation of a test evaluation report.
Source: ISTQB
The activity that makes testware available for later use, leaves test environments in a satisfactory condition and communicates the results of testing to relevant stakeholders.
Source: ISTQB
A type of test report produced at completion milestones that provides an evaluation of the corresponding test items against exit criteria.
Ref: After ISO 29119-1
Source: ISTQB
A testable aspect of a component or system identified as a basis for testing.
See also: Testmanagement
Source: ISTQB
The activity that develops and applies corrective actions to get a test project on track when it deviates from what was planned.
Source: ISTQB
An instance of the test process against a single identifiable version of the test object.
Source: ISTQB
Data needed for test execution.
Source: ISTQB
The activity to select data from existing databases or create, generate, manipulate and edit data for testing.
Source: ISTQB
The layer in a generic test automation architecture which supports test implementation by supporting the definition of test suites and/or test cases, e.g., by offering templates or guidelines.
Source: ISTQB
The activity that derives and specifies test cases from test conditions.
See also: test manager
Source: ISTQB
A senior manager who manages test managers.
Source: ISTQB
A software development technique in which the test cases are developed, and often automated, and then the software is developed incrementally to pass those test cases.
Source: ISTQB
test case explosion
Ref: ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
An environment containing hardware, instrumentation, simulators, software tools, and other support elements needed to conduct a test.
Source: ISTQB
A person who performs testing.
Source: ISTQB
An approximation related to various aspects of testing.
Source: ISTQB
The activity that runs a test on a component or system producing actual results.
Source: ISTQB
The use of software, e.g., capture/playback tools, to control the execution of tests, the comparison of actual results to expected results, the setting up of test preconditions, and other test control and reporting functions.
Source: ISTQB
The layer in a generic test automation architecture which supports the execution of test suites and/or test cases.
Source: ISTQB
A schedule for the execution of test suites within a test cycle.
Source: ISTQB
A test tool that executes tests against a designated test item and evaluates the outcomes against expected results and postconditions.
See also: test-driven development
Source: ISTQB
An approach to software development in which the test cases are designed and implemented before the associated component or system is developed.
Source: ISTQB
The layer in a generic test automation architecture which supports manual or automated design of test suites and/or test cases.
Source: ISTQB
A collection of stubs and drivers needed to execute a test suite
Source: ISTQB
A customized software interface that enables automated testing of a test object.
Source: ISTQB
The activity that prepares the testware needed for test execution based on test analysis and design.
Ref: After CMMI
Source: ISTQB
A plan for achieving organizational test process improvement objectives based on a thorough understanding of the current strengths and weaknesses of the organization's test processes and test process assets.
Source: ISTQB
The organizational artifacts needed to perform testing, consisting of test environments, test tools, office environment and procedures.
Source: ISTQB
The process consisting of all lifecycle activities, both static and dynamic, concerned with planning, preparation and evaluation of a component or system and related work products to determine that they satisfy specified requirements, to demonstrate that they are fit for purpose and to detect defects.
See also: test object
Source: ISTQB
A part of a test object used in the test process.
See also: test manager
Source: ISTQB
On large projects, the person who reports to the test manager and is responsible for project management of a particular test level or a particular set of testing activities.
Ref: ISO 29119-1
Source: ISTQB
A specific instantiation of a test process.
Ref: ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
A chronological record of relevant details about the execution of tests.
Source: ISTQB
The activity of creating a test log.
Ref: ISO 29119-1
Source: ISTQB
The planning, scheduling, estimating, monitoring, reporting, control and completion of test activities.
Source: ISTQB
A tool that supports test management.
Source: ISTQB
The person responsible for project management of testing activities, resources, and evaluation of a test object.
Source: ISTQB
A five-level staged framework for test process improvement, related to the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI), that describes the key elements of an effective test process.
See also: test policy
Source: ISTQB
The purpose of testing for an organization, often documented as part of the test policy.
Source: ISTQB
A model describing testware that is used for testing a component or a system under test.
Source: ISTQB
The activity that checks the status of testing activities, identifies any variances from planned or expected, and reports status to stakeholders.
Source: ISTQB
The work product to be tested.
Source: ISTQB
The reason or purpose of testing.
Ref: After Adrion
Source: ISTQB
A source to determine an expected result to compare with the actual result of the system under test.
Source: ISTQB
process-compliant test strategy
Ref: After ISO 29119-1
Source: ISTQB
Documentation describing the test objectives to be achieved and the means and the schedule for achieving them, organized to coordinate testing activities.
Source: ISTQB
The activity of establishing or updating a test plan.
Ref: TMap
Source: ISTQB
A formula based test estimation method based on function point analysis.
Source: ISTQB
A high-level document describing the principles, approach and major objectives of the organization regarding testing.
Ref: ISO 29119-1
Source: ISTQB
A sequence of test cases in execution order, and any associated actions that may be required to set up the initial preconditions and any wrap up activities post execution.
Source: ISTQB
The set of interrelated activities comprising of test planning, test monitoring and control, test analysis, test design, test implementation, test execution, and test completion.
Ref: After CMMI
Source: ISTQB
A collection of specialists who facilitate the definition, maintenance, and improvement of the test processes used by an organization.
Ref: After CMMI
Source: ISTQB
A program of activities undertaken to improve the performance and maturity of the organization's test processes.
Ref: Veenendaal08
Source: ISTQB
A statement that echoes the Agile manifesto, and defines values for improving the test process.
Source: ISTQB
A person implementing improvements in the test process based on a test improvement plan.
Source: ISTQB
A type of test report produced at regular intervals about the progress of test activities against a baseline, risks, and alternatives requiring a decision.
Source: ISTQB
A graphical model representing the relationship of the amount of testing per level, with more at the bottom than at the top.
Source: ISTQB
Documentation summarizing test activities and results.
See also: Testprozess
Source: ISTQB
Collecting and analyzing data from testing activities and subsequently consolidating the data in a report to inform stakeholders.
Source: ISTQB
The consequence/outcome of the execution of a test.
Source: ISTQB
The execution of a test suite on a specific version of the test object.
Source: ISTQB
A list of activities, tasks or events of the test process, identifying their intended start and finish dates and/or times, and interdependencies.
Source: ISTQB
A sequence of instructions for the execution of a test.
Source: ISTQB
The criteria used to guide the generation of test cases or to select test cases in order to limit the size of a test.
Source: ISTQB
An uninterrupted period of time spent in executing tests.
Ref: After ISO 29119-1
Source: ISTQB
The complete documentation of the test design, test cases, and test scripts for a specific test item.
Source: ISTQB
Documentation aligned with the test policy that describes the generic requirements for testing and details how to perform testing within an organization.
Source: ISTQB
A set of test scripts or test procedures to be executed in a specific test run.
Source: ISTQB
A procedure used to define test conditions, design test cases, and specify test data.
Ref: After TMap
Source: ISTQB
A group of test activities based on specific test objectives aimed at specific characteristics of a component or system.
Ref: After ISO 29119-1
Source: ISTQB
Work products produced during the test process for use in planning, designing, executing, evaluating and reporting on testing.
Source: IREB
In agile development: A collection of related ↑user stories.
Source: ISTQB
The amount of time required by a user to determine and execute the next action in a sequence of actions.
Source: ISTQB
The coverage of neurons exceeding a threshold activation value in a neural network for a set of tests.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system can perform its required functions within required response times, processing times and throughput rates.
Source: IREB
A fixed, non-extendable amount of time for completing a set of ↑tasks.
Source: IREB
A (software) ↑system that helps develop, operate and maintain systems.
Ref: After ISO 24765
Source: ISTQB
An organization-wide management approach to quality based on employee participation to achieve long-term success through customer satisfaction.
Source: ISTQB
A set of exploratory tests organized around a special focus.
Source: ISTQB
A continuous business-driven framework for test process improvement that describes the key elements of an effective and efficient test process.
Ref: After ISO 19506
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a relationship can be established between two or more work products.
Source: IREB
1. In general: The ability to establish explicit relationships between related ↑work products or ↑items within work products. 2. In RE: The ability to trace a ↑requirement (a) back to its origins, (b) forward to its implementation in design and code and its associated tests, (c) to requirements it depends on (and vice-versa).
Source: ISTQB
A two-dimensional table, which correlates two entities (e.g., requirements and test cases). The table allows tracing back and forth the links of one entity to the other, thus enabling the determination of coverage achieved and the assessment of impact of proposed changes.
Ref: After Garvin
See also: manufacturing-based quality, product-based quality, user-based quality, value-based quality
Source: ISTQB
A view of quality based on the perception and feeling of individuals.
Source: IREB
Abbreviation for Unified Modeling Language, a standardized language for modeling problems or solutions.
Source: IREB
The degree to which a ↑requirement is expressed such that it cannot be understood differently by different people.
Source: IREB
The degree to which an ↑item is comprehensible to its intended users.
Ref: Graham
Source: ISTQB
A tool that provides an environment for unit or component testing in which a component can be tested in isolation or with suitable stubs and drivers. It also provides other support for the developer, such as debugging capabilities.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals in a specified context of use.
Source: IREB
The degree to which a ↑system can be used by specified ↑users to achieve specified ↑goals in a specified context of use.
See also: formative evaluation, summative evaluation
Source: ISTQB
A process through which information about the usability of a system is gathered in order to improve the system (known as formative evaluation) or to assess the merit or worth of a system (known as summative evaluation).
Source: ISTQB
A test facility in which unintrusive observation of participant reactions and responses to software takes place.
Source: ISTQB
A requirement on the usability of a component or system.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
Testing to evaluate the degree to which the system can be used by specified users with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use.
Source: ISTQB
A representative user who solves typical tasks in a usability test.
See also: Testablaufspezifikation
Source: ISTQB
A document specifying a sequence of actions for the execution of a usability test. It is used by the moderator to keep track of briefing and pre-session interview questions, usability test tasks, and post-session interview questions.
Source: ISTQB
A test session in usability testing in which a usability test participant is executing tests, moderated by a moderator and observed by a number of observers.
Source: ISTQB
A usability test execution activity specified by the moderator that needs to be accomplished by a usability test participant within a given period of time.
Source: IREB
A set of possible interactions between external ↑actors and a ↑system that provide a benefit for the actor(s) involved.
Source: IREB
A diagram type in ↑UML that models the ↑actors and the ↑use cases of a ↑system.
Source: IREB
A ↑model consisting of a set of ↑use cases, typically together with a ↑use case diagram.
Source: ISTQB
A black-box test technique in which test cases are designed to exercise use case behaviors.
Source: IREB
A person who uses the ↑functionality provided by a ↑system.
See also: acceptance testing
Source: ISTQB
A type of acceptance testing performed to determine if intended users accept the system.
Source: ISTQB
A type of testing in which a test client is used to switch the user agent string and identify itself as a different client while executing test suites.
Ref: after Garvin
See also: manufacturing-based quality, product-based quality, transcendent-based quality, value-based quality
Source: ISTQB
A view of quality measured by the degree that the needs, wants, and desires of a user are met.
Ref: After ISO 25010
Source: ISTQB
The degree to which a component or system protects users against making errors.
Ref: ISO 9241-210
Source: ISTQB
A person's perceptions and responses resulting from the use or anticipated use of a software product.
Source: ISTQB
All components of a system that provide information and controls for the user to accomplish specific tasks with the system.
Source: ISTQB
A low-level, specific rule or recommendation for user interface design that leaves little room for interpretation so designers implement it similarly. It is often used to ensure consistency in the appearance and behavior of the user interface of the systems produced by an organization.
Source: IREB
A ↑requirement expressing a ↑user need.
Source: ISTQB
A user or business requirement consisting of one sentence expressed in the everyday or business language which is capturing the functionality a user needs, the reason behind it, any non-functional criteria, and also including acceptance criteria.
Source: IREB
A description of a need from a ↑user’s perspective together with the expected benefit when this need is satisfied.
Note: 1. User stories are typically written in ↑natural language using a ↑phrase template and are accompanied by ↑acceptance criteria. 2. In ↑agile development, user stories are the main means for communicating needs between a ↑product owner and the development team.
Source: ISTQB
A black-box test technique in which test cases are designed based on user stories to verify their correct implementation.
Source: ISTQB
A usability evaluation whereby a representative sample of users are asked to report subjective evaluation into a questionnaire based on their experience in using a component or system.
Ref: ISO 9000
Source: ISTQB
Confirmation by examination and through provision of objective evidence that the requirements for a specific intended use or application have been fulfilled.
Source: IREB
The ↑process of confirming that an ↑item (a ↑system, a ↑work product or a part thereof) matches its ↑stakeholders’ needs.
Ref: After Garvin
See also: manufacturing-based quality, product-based quality, transcendent-based quality, user-based quality
Source: ISTQB
A view of quality measured by the ratio of the cost to the value received from a product or service.
Source: ISTQB
The coverage of neurons activated where their activation values differ by more than a change amount in the neural network for a set of tests.
Source: IREB
1. The degree to which a ↑system can be changed or customized. 2. In product lines: The ↑features that can differ among the members of the ↑product line.
Source: IREB
One of the possible forms that an ↑item (e.g., a ↑requirement) may have.
Source: IREB
A point in a ↑product line where an element of the product line (typically a variable or a ↑feature) can be chosen from a set of ↑variants.
Source: IREB
The degree to which the fulfillment of a ↑requirement by an implemented ↑system can be verified.
Ref: ISO 9000
Source: ISTQB
Confirmation by examination and through provision of objective evidence that specified requirements have been fulfilled.
Source: IREB
The process of confirming that an ↑item (a system, a work product, or a part thereof) fulfills its ↑specification.
Source: ISTQB
configuration management
Source: IREB
An occurrence of an ↑item which exists in multiple, time-ordered occurrences where each occurrence has been created by modifying one of its previous occurrences.
Source: IREB
An excerpt from a ↑work product, containing only those parts one is currently interested in.
Source: IREB
A certain perspective on the ↑requirements of a ↑system.
Ref: ISO 29119-11
Source: ISTQB
A test environment in which one or more parts are digitally simulated.
Source: ISTQB
A simulation of activities performed according to a user operational profile.
Source: IREB
A conceptual imagination of a future ↑system or ↑product, describing its key characteristics and how it will create value for its ↑users.
Ref: After ISO 29119-11
Source: ISTQB
Testing that uses image recognition to interact with GUI objects.
Source: ISTQB
A sequential software development lifecycle model describing a one-for-one relationship between major phases of software development from business requirements specification to delivery, and corresponding test levels from acceptance testing to component testing.
Source: ISTQB
A static analyzer that is used to detect particular security vulnerabilities in the code.
Ref: After ISO 20246
See also: Peer Review
Source: ISTQB
A type of review in which an author leads members of the review through a work product and the members ask questions and make comments about possible issues.
Source: IREB
A ↑review in which the author of a ↑work product leads the reviewers systematically through the work product and the reviewers ask questions and make comments about possible issues.
Source: ISTQB
A part of a series of web accessibility guidelines published by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the main international standards organization for the internet. They consist of a set of guidelines for making content accessible, primarily for people with disabilities.
Source: ISTQB
A commercial website analysis service providing a questionnaire for measuring user experience and assessing delivery of business goals online.
Source: ISTQB
Testing based on an analysis of the internal structure of the component or system.
Source: ISTQB
A test technique only based on the internal structure of a component or system.
Source: ISTQB
An expert-based test estimation technique that aims at making an accurate estimation using the collective wisdom of the team members.
Source: ISTQB
A pointer that references a location that is out of scope for that pointer or that does not exist.
Source: IREB
A low-fidelity ↑prototype built with simple materials that primarily serves for discussing and validating requirements, design ideas or user interface concepts.
Source: IREB
A recorded, intermediate or final result generated in a work ↑process.
Source: ISTQB
A generalized term for dynamic testing in different virtual test environments.
Source: ISTQB
review plan
training