Which testing principal suggests a change to the current test strategy for the next test cycle?

A team’s test strategy was to invest equal effort in testing each of a system’s modules. After running one test cycle, it turned out that most of the critical bugs were detected in one of the system’s modules.

Which testing principal suggests a change to the current test strategy for the next test cycle?
A . Pesticide Paradox
B . Early testing
C . Absence-of-errors fallacy
D . Defect clustering

View Answer

Answer: D

Explanation:

Defect clustering is a testing principle that states that a small number of modules contain most of the defects detected during pre-release testing, or are responsible for most of the operational failures. Defect clustering can be explained by Pareto’s principle (also known as the 80-20 rule), which states that approximately 80% of the problems are found in 20% of the modules. Defect clustering suggests a change to the current test strategy for the next test cycle, as it implies that more effort should be allocated to test the modules that have shown high defect density or criticality. Pesticide paradox is another testing principle that states that if the same tests are repeated over and over again, eventually they will no longer find any new defects. Pesticide paradox suggests a change to the current test strategy for the next test cycle, but not based on defect clustering, but rather on test diversity and coverage. Early testing is a testing principle that states that testing activities should start as early as possible in the software development life cycle and should be focused on defined objectives. Early testing does not suggest a change to the current test strategy for the next test cycle, but rather a proactive approach to prevent defects from occurring or propagating. Absence-of-errors fallacy is a testing principle that states that finding and fixing defects does not help if the system built is unusable and does not fulfill the users’ needs and expectations. Absence-of-errors fallacy does not suggest a change to the current test strategy for the next test cycle, but rather a focus on quality attributes and user requirements.

Reference: A Study Guide to the ISTQB® Foundation Level 2018 Syllabus – Springer, Chapter 1, page 9-10.