Test Confidence - Overview

All application change requires a level of testing to ensure correct operation when deployed. Without testing problems/flaws become evident in production where real users will experience them. This is true on any platform: web site; cloud; mainframe; PC.

Testing undertaken should be sufficient to identify flaws so they can be remediated or knowingly allowed to deploy. Choosing the path is a business decision. Being aware of what flaws exist is needed to make this decision.

Application testing is used to expose flaws. It also shows proper/expected outcomes for the changes being made. Testing actions generally evolve from past eposides of issues missed, awareness of what is changing, current hot button areas. This often keeps old tests without knowing what value they supply to today.

Knowing what has/hasn't been tested gives confidence that potential flaws have been exposed. If a compenant has been executed confidence can rise. But when something has not been exercised it's not possible to have objective confidence in its operation.

The value of Test actions improve with greater awareness of what has been tested.
Subjective belief that a component has been exercised may not be accurate. Having objective proof of what has adds confidence to what was planned.

Test Confidence adds a new level of objective proof to what has/hasn't been tested.