Quality Risk Analysis

Testing any real-world system is potentially an infinite task. Of this infinite set of possible tests, test managers need to focus on the most significant risks to system quality. These are the potential failures that are likely to occur in real-world use or would cost a lot if they did occur. This article describes practical ways to analyze the risks to system quality, providing guidance along the way to achieving effective and efficient testing.

1. What are some of the dangers in categorizing risks in this manner?
2. Do you think that increasing risks are ever missed because they were categorized in a "medium" category versus a "high" category based on minute differences in the assessed impact or the assessed likelihood?
3. Do you think that it would be self-evident if the likelihood of a negative event or failure crept higher and higher over a relatively long period of time?

Aggregate Extent of Risk Testing Comments Very low None Only report bugs observed in these risk areas. Low Opportunistic Leverage other tests or activities to run a test or two of an interesting condition in the related risk area, but only if it involves a very small investment of time and effort and only if the opportunity presents itself. Medium Cursory Run a small number of tests that sample the most interesting conditions in the related risk areas. High Broad Run a medium number of tests that exercise many different interesting conditions in the related risk areas. Very high Extensive Run a large number of tests that are both broad and deep, where deep tests exercise many combinations and variations of interesting conditions. Table 3 Mapping relative quality risks to the extent of testing