Prospective Testing vs. Inspective Testing
Submitted by Antony Marcano on Wed, 27/06/2007 - 11:58.
perspectives
In helping people, especially testers, to understand the difference between test-first approaches and test-last, I've been using terms that James Bach and I arrived at (after a lengthy discussion).
"Inspective Testing" is the type of testing that most people are used to... You will be directly (or indirectly through a harness) interacting with the system you are testing.
Test-first approaches still require knowledge and skills in testing but these are applied before the product exists. The point being that the tests have a direct influence on the product you are building... i.e. development is driven by the tests...
We described the 'testing' (i.e. the thinking, test-design and creation) that happens in a test-first process as "Prospective Testing".
Yesterday, I explained it in the most concise terms I've been able to so far...
"Inspective Testing" helps us to understand more about the product we've built.
"Prospective Testing" helps us to understand more about what we expect from the product we are about to build.
Arguably, in test-first, 'Prospective Testing' is simply test-design, however, many use the term 'testing' as an umbrella term for everything from test-design to execution... Especially among those who interpret 'testing' in this way, but also among others, I've found these terms useful in articulating the concepts.
"Inspective Testing" is the type of testing that most people are used to... You will be directly (or indirectly through a harness) interacting with the system you are testing.
Test-first approaches still require knowledge and skills in testing but these are applied before the product exists. The point being that the tests have a direct influence on the product you are building... i.e. development is driven by the tests...
We described the 'testing' (i.e. the thinking, test-design and creation) that happens in a test-first process as "Prospective Testing".
Yesterday, I explained it in the most concise terms I've been able to so far...
"Inspective Testing" helps us to understand more about the product we've built.
"Prospective Testing" helps us to understand more about what we expect from the product we are about to build.
Arguably, in test-first, 'Prospective Testing' is simply test-design, however, many use the term 'testing' as an umbrella term for everything from test-design to execution... Especially among those who interpret 'testing' in this way, but also among others, I've found these terms useful in articulating the concepts.