A

abstract test case: See high level test case.

acceptance: See acceptance testing.

acceptance criteria: The exit criteria that a component or system must satisfy in order to be

accepted by a user, customer, or other authorized entity. [IEEE 610]

acceptance testing: Formal testing with respect to user needs, requirements, and business

processes conducted to determine whether or not a system satisfies the acceptance criteria

and to enable the user, customers or other authorized entity to determine whether or not to

accept the system. [After IEEE 610]

accessibility testing: Testing to determine the ease by which users with disabilities can use a

component or system. [Gerrard]

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accuracy: The capability of the software product to provide the right or agreed results or effects

with the needed degree of precision. [ISO 9126] See also functionality testing.

action word driven testing: See keyword driven testing

actual outcome: See actual result.

actual result: The behavior produced/observed when a component or system is tested.

ad hoc review: See informal review.

ad hoc testing: Testing carried out informally; no formal test preparation takes place, no

recognized test design technique is used, there are no expectations for results and

arbitrariness guides the test execution activity.

adaptability: The capability of the software product to be adapted for different specified

environments without applying actions or means other than those provided for this purpose

for the software considered. [ISO 9126] See also portability.

agile testing: Testing practice for a project using agile methodologies, such as extreme

programming (XP), treating development as the customer of testing and emphasizing the

test-first design paradigm. See also test driven development.

algorithm test [TMap]: See branch testing.

alpha testing: Simulated or actual operational testing by potential users/customers or an

independent test team at the developers’ site, but outside the development organization.

Alpha testing is often employed for off-the-shelf software as a form of internal acceptance

testing.

analyzability: The capability of the software product to be diagnosed for deficiencies or causes

of failures in the software, or for the parts to be modified to be identified. [ISO 9126] See

also maintainability.

analyzer: See static analyzer.

anomaly: 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. [IEEE

1044] See also bug, defect, deviation, error, fault, failure, incident, problem.

arc testing: See branch testing.

attack: Directed and focused attempt to evaluate the quality, especially reliability, of a test

object by attempting to force specific failures to occur.

attractiveness: The capability of the software product to be attractive to the user. [ISO 9126]

See also usability.

audit: An independent evaluation of software products or processes to ascertain compliance

to standards, guidelines, specifications, and/or procedures based on objective criteria,

including documents that specify:

(1) the form or content of the products to be produced

(2) the process by which the products shall be produced

(3) how compliance to standards or guidelines shall be measured. [IEEE 1028]

audit trail: A path by which the original input to a process (e.g. data) can be traced back

through the process, taking the process output as a starting point. This facilitates defect

analysis and allows a process audit to be carried out. [After TMap]

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automated testware: Testware used in automated testing, such as tool scripts.

availability: The degree to which a component or system is operational and accessible when

required for use. Often expressed as a percentage. [IEEE 610]