Testing Terminologies & definitions

Software Testing- Testing is the process of executing a program with the intent of finding errors.

Validation-Validation is to check whether the software meets customers expectations. (Building the right product).

Verification-Verification is to check whether the software conforms the specifications.It is done by development team to ensure that software is as per SRS document.(Building the product right ).

Test Case-Test case is sets of input parameters.Test cases describes how the test should be carried out.

Black Box Testing-Black box testing is the testing carried out to check functionality of the software without considering internal structure of code .

White Box Testing-White box testing is the testing carried out taking into the implementation details.

Software Requirements Specification-A document that captures the requirements of the proposed software.

Baseline- A measurement of where your processes are at any given point of time.It is used to compare one group at any given time to the same group at another point in time.

Benchmark- A measurement of where your process are compared directly to other companies or static model such as CMM.

Bug/Defect- A flaw in the software with potential to cause a failure.

Failure- Any deviation of a system that prevents it from accomplishing its mission or operating within specification.It is the manifestation of a defect.

Cyclomatic Complexity-  A technique using mathematical graph theory to describe the complexity of a software module.

Decision Table-Tables that list all possible conditions(inputs) & all possible actions(outputs).

Defect Age- A measurement that describes the period of time from the introduction of a defect until its discovery.

Exploratory Testing- A testing technique where the test design and execution are conducted concurrently.

Incident-Any unusual result of executing a test.

Latent Defect- An existing defect that has not yet caused a failure because the exact set of conditions has not been met.

Masked Defect - An existing defect that hasn't yet caused a failure because another defect has prevented that part of the code from being executed.

Milestone-A major checkpoint or a sub-goal indentified on the project or testing schedule.

Mutation Analysis- Purposely altering a program from its intended version in order to evaluate the ability of the test cases to detect the alteration.

Random Testing- Testing using data that is in the format of real data, but with all of the fields generated randomly.

Regression Testing-Retesting previously tested features to ensure that a change or bug fix has not affected them.

Requirement Traceability-Demonstrating that all requirements are covered by one or more test cases.

Scaffolding Code- Code that simulates the function of non-existent components(e.g.-stubs and drivers).

Smoke Testing-A test run to demonstrate that the basic functionality of a system exists and that a certain level of stability has been achieved.Frequently used as part of the entrance criteria to a level of test.

Use Case-A use-case describes a sequence of interactions between an external "actor" and a system,which results in the actor accomplishing a task that provides a benefit to someone.

Latency - Latency is a measure of responsiveness that represents the time it takes to complete the execution of a request. Latency may also represent the sum of several latencies or subtasks. 


Response time - Response time is a measure of how responsive an application or subsystem is to a client request.

Scalability - Scalability refers to an application’s ability to handle additional workload, without adversely affecting performance, by adding resources such as processor, memory, and storage capacity.

Throughput - Throughput is the number of units of work that can be handled per unit of time; for instance, requests per second, calls per day, hits per second, reports per year, etc.