Allocate test design technique tables

When you want to allocate the most suitable test technique, follow the next steps:

1. From below table, search for the right combination of characteristic and test intensity.

2. From below table, select the test technique as indicated in the intersection.

Test intensity Characteristic	light coverage	average coverage	thorough coverage
Manageability	– Checklist – PCT testlevel 1 – UCT checklist – Error Guessing	– DCoT equivalance classes – PCT testlevel 2 – Exploratory Testing	– DCoT pairwise testing – PCT testlevel 3
Security	– Checklist – Error Guessing	– DCoT equivalance classes – SEM mc/dc – Exploratory Testing	– DCoT pairwise testing – Penetration test
Usability	– UCT – Checklist – Error Guessing	– PCT testlevel 2 – UCT paths	– RLT – operational / load profiles – UCT decision points
Continuity	– Error Guessing	– RLT – operational / load profiles – Exploratory Testing	– RLT – operational / load profiles
Functionality (detail)	– DTT condition/decision coverage – DCoT equivalance classes – Error Guessing	– DCoT pairwise testing – ECT mc/dc – Exploratory Testing	– DTT multiple condition decision (incl. boundary values) – DCoT n-wise testing – ECT multiple condition decision
Functionality (overall)	– DCoT equivalance classes – SYN checklist (limited) – UCT checklist – Error Guessing	– DCoT pairwise testing – DCyT – CRUD – DCyT – integrity rules (decision coverage) – PCT testlevel 2 – SYN prioritized list – SEM condition decision coverage – UCT paths – Exploratory Testing	– DCoT n-wise testing – DCyT – CRUD (extra R’s) – DCyT (integrity rules) mc/dc – RLT – operational / load profiles
Functionality (validation)	– SYN checklist – Error Guessing	– SEM condition decision coverage – SYN prioritized list – PCT testlevel 2	– UCT decision points – SEM mc/dc
User friendliness	– SYN checklist – Error Guessing	– SYN prioritized list – UCT checklist	– Usability test (usability lab)
Infrastructure (suitable)	– Error Guessing	– RLT – operational / load profiles – Exploratory Testing	– RLT – operational / load profiles
Suitability	– UCT checklist – DCoT equivalance classes – PCT testlevel 1 – Error Guessing	– UCT paths – PCT testlevel 2 – DCoT pairwise testing – DCyT – CRUD – DCyT – integrity rules (decision coverage) – Exploratory Testing	– RLT – operational / load profiles – UCT decision points – DCoT n-wise testing – DCyT – CRUD (extra R’s) – DCyT (integrity rules) mc/dc – PCT testlevel 3
Performance	– Error Guessing	– RLT – operational / load profiles – Exploratory Testing	– RLT – operational / load profiles
Portability	– Checklist – Random sample functional tests – Random sample environment combinations – Error Guessing	– Functional regression test – Important environment combinations – Exploratory Testing	– All functional tests – All environment combinations
Efficiency	– Error Guessing	– RLT – operational / load profiles – Exploratory Testing	– RLT – operational / load profiles

^{Table 1 – Test intensity table.}

3. From below table, select the row with the proposed test technique.

4. From below table, select the required test basis as mentioned in the selected row.

Test Basis / Test technique	all types of testbasis	individual conditions or decision tables without structure	structured functional specification (pseudo code)	CRUD matrix, data integrity rules	structured description of business or operational processes	operational / load profiles	input and output specifications – business rules	input and output specifications – attribute descriptions	Use cases
Checklist	X	X					X
Decision Table Test (DTT)	X	X	X
Data Combination Test (DCoT)	X	X	X	X
Exploratory Testing (ET)	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Elementary Comparison Test (ECT)		X	X
Functional tests		X					X
Data Cylce Test (DCyT)		X		X
Environment combinations		X					X
Penetration Test									X
Process Cycle Test (PCT)		X		X	X	X		X	X
Real Life Test (RLT)		X				X			X
Semantic Test (SEM)							X	X	X
Syntactic Test (SYN)							X	X	X
Usability Test								X	X
Use Case Test (UCT)					X	X		X	X

^{Table 2 – Test basis per Test Technique}

5. Ask yourself the following questions:

Does the required test basis coincide with the available one?
Do testers have the knowledge and skills to implement the test technique?
Is the test techniques labor-intensiveness proportionate to the available time?

6. When one of these questions is answered by ‘NO’ then take measures, otherwise select the test technique!