Software Testing - Test Conditions

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Testing needs to be performed at a very granular level to enhance its quality. A test condition points to a particular element or feature of the software that is analyzed to confirm if it is working properly and is designed as per the requirements.

What is a Test Condition?

The test condition is a requirement or specification which the tester adheres to while testing the software. It helps to create the test cases and commands the testing procedures. The test conditions are made on the basis of the software’s functional and non-functional requirements, design documents etc. They impose restrictions on the test cases so that they are more effective in measuring the software quality.

Practical Example of a Test Condition

In an e-commerce application, the payment will only be processed only if correct user and transaction details are available.

Which Factors Determine a Test Condition?

The factors which determine a test condition are listed below −

Software’s Nature of Complexity

If the software being tested has a lot of complex features then, the test conditions are more comprehensive and designed at a low-level to increase the test coverage.

Requirements

If the software requirements are clear and unambiguous, it becomes easy to come up with the test conditions.

Functionality

If any of the functionalities of the software are critical, the test conditions around them are more exhaustive so that the functionality works accurately without any deviations.

Risk

The areas of the software which are more likely to be exposed to risks, have more test conditions to mitigate them, rather than less risk prone areas.

Reusable

The test conditions are well documented and contain minute details. Hence they can be reused in other test cases as well.

Automation

The test conditions built using automation are more detailed and they can be used to create more granular and robust test cases.

How to Write a Test Condition?

A test condition can be written by following the below steps −

• Step 1 − Determine the test condition.
• Step 2 − Identify the inputs and data.
• Step 3 − Determine the test prerequisites.
• Step 4 − Get the expected results from the requirements.

Let us take the example of a test condition for payment functionality.

Example for Step 1 − Payment can be processed only with correct user and payment transaction details.

Example for Step 2 − Inputs and data consists of user credentials along with valid payment transaction data.

Example for Step 3 − User should be able to login and move to the payment screen.

Example for Step 4 − Payment should be processed successfully and its details should reflect in the payment details screen.

Advantages of Test Conditions

The advantages of test conditions are listed below −

• Exhaustive test conditions give clear guidelines to the testers, define what is in-scope and out-scope, testing procedures, and how to confirm if a test has passed or failed.
• The low-level test conditions bring clarity and understanding among the testers. This reduces the need for any assumptions and establishes clear knowledge of the test objectives.
• The test conditions documented in a detailed way improves test coverage by including all possible positive, negative, and edge scenarios.
• They help as a reference for regression testing, audit, debugging, automation etc which ultimately enhance the software quality.

Disadvantages of Test Conditions

The disadvantages of test conditions are listed below −

• It consumes a lot of time and effort to come up with detailed test conditions, which ultimately slows down the testing process.
• Exhaustive and comprehensive test conditions may make the testers confused and overwhelmed with a lot of information.
• Testers become too rigid following the test conditions and they may not perform exploratory testing and miss out testing some unique and rare scenarios.
• The maintenance of test conditions may pose a great challenge to the testers.
• The focus on too much detailing in test conditions leads to time waste, rather than that the test conditions need to be more effective and robust.

When the Test Conditions are Written in Great Detail?

The test conditions are written in great details in the scenarios listed below −

• If the functionalities are very complex and specific, the test conditions need to be very detailed to ensure correctness, dependability, security etc.
• The detailed test conditions take care of regulations and compliances.
• The software which has a past record of encountering numerous errors, should have detailed test conditions to detect maximum bugs and mitigate potential risks.
• Detailed test conditions help to detect errors in the early stages of software development lifecycle(SDLC).

When the Test Conditions are not Written in Great Detail?

The test conditions are not written in great details in the scenarios listed below −

• Test conditions with less details are used for a stable software which is already in use for a long time having good performances and other features.
• In an agile environment, where the requirements are changing frequently, very detailed test conditions are not used.
• During exploratory testing, detailed test conditions are not used to give the testers an opportunity to think out of the box and come up with brand new scenarios.

Difference Between Test Conditions and Test Scenarios

Conclusion

This concludes our comprehensive take on the tutorial on Software Testing Test Conditions. We’ve started with describing what is a test condition, a practical example of a test condition, which factors determine a test condition, how to write a test condition, advantages and disadvantages of test conditions, when the test conditions are written in great detail, and what are the differences between test conditions and test scenarios.

This equips you with in-depth knowledge of Software Testing Test Conditions. It is wise to keep practicing what you’ve learned and exploring others relevant to Software Testing to deepen your understanding and expand your horizons.