TL;DR
In the last post, we presented Exploratory Testing Antipatterns and how to avoid those using Testivator. Today we talk about Session-Based Testing Limits, presented by WorkRoom Productions. Many thanks to Marcel, who sublimed this great resource on his blog, That’s the buffet table.
The Limits
Session-based testing is a technique for managing and controlling unscripted tests.
Human exploration was one of the most remarkable skills that put us on top of Earth’s food chain. For some unknown reasons, human exploration in the software testing context got the very unpopular name as “Ad Hoc Testing.” But human exploration has structure and control, and the primary goal of the Session-Based Test Management Framework [Bach] was to manage and control unscripted testing.
Script (computer programming), a computer program commonly run in an interpreter. [Wikipedia]
Here, the interpreter is a software tester. Advantages of unscripted testing over scripted ones are flexibility, speed, and range.
A session-Based Test Management Framework is not a test generation strategy.
Session-Based Test Management Session has a duration limit.
Session-Based Test Management has limited exploration scope.
Scope limits should be set so the tester can clearly identify when the limit is crossed. On the contrary, the tester’s actions during the session duration and within the scope limit are not controlled. Session-Based Management requires the guidance of an experienced tester. The professional tester will review session notes. It is a useful practice that notes contain test data, ideas, questions, facts, risks, bugs, opportunities, heuristics, and oracles.
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