Context-Driven Testing
ANALYZE context: project goals, constraints, risks, team skills QUESTION practices: "Why this? What risk does it address? What's the cost?" INVESTIGATE not just check: Does software solve the problem, or create new ones? ADAPT approach based on context, not "best practices" DOCUMENT discoveries, not pre-written plans
Quick Context Analysis:
Mission: "Find important problems fast enough to matter" (not "execute test cases") Risk: Safety-critical = high rigor; internal tool = lighter touch Constraints: Startup with tight timeline ≠ enterprise with compliance Skills: Novice needs structure; expert adapts intuitively
Critical Success Factors:
No "best practices" work everywhere - only good practices in context Testing is investigation, not script execution Context changes; your approach should too Quick Reference Card When to Use Making testing decisions for new project Questioning "that's how it's done" dogma Adapting approach to specific constraints Exploratory testing sessions Seven Context-Driven Principles Value of any practice depends on its context Good practices in context, no universal best practices People working together are most important Projects unfold in unpredictable ways Product is a solution - if problem not solved, product fails Good testing is challenging intellectual work Judgment and skill determine right things at right times Context Factors Factor Questions Project Business goal? User needs? Failure impact? Constraints Timeline? Budget? Team skills? Legacy? Risk Safety-critical? Regulated? High volume? Technical Stack quirks? Integrations? Observability? RST Heuristics Heuristic Application SFDIPOT Structure, Function, Data, Interfaces, Platform, Operations, Time Oracles Consistency with history, similar products, expectations, docs Tours Business District, Historical, Bad Neighborhood, Tourist, Museum Context-Driven Decisions Example: Test Automation Level
Startup Context:
Small team, rapid changes, unclear product-market fit Decision: Light automation on critical paths, heavy exploratory Rationale: Requirements change too fast for extensive automation
Enterprise Context:
Stable features, regulatory requirements, large team Decision: Comprehensive automated regression suite Rationale: Stability allows automation investment to pay off Example: Documentation
Regulated (FDA/medical):
Decision: Detailed test protocols, traceability matrices Rationale: Regulatory compliance isn't optional
Fast-paced startup:
Decision: Lightweight session notes, risk logs Rationale: Bureaucracy slows more than it helps Investigation vs. Checking Checking Testing (Investigation) Did API return 200? Does API meet user needs? Does button work? What happens under load? Match the spec? Does it solve the problem? Red Flags: Not Context-Driven Follow process "because that's how it's done" Can't explain why you're doing something Measure test cases executed, not problems found Test plan could apply to any project Stop thinking once you have a script Agent-Assisted Context-Driven Testing // Agent analyzes context and recommends approach const context = await Task("Analyze Context", { project: 'e-commerce-platform', stage: 'startup', constraints: ['timeline: tight', 'budget: limited'], risks: ['payment-security', 'high-volume'] }, "qe-fleet-commander");
// Context-aware agent selection // - qe-security-scanner (critical risk) // - qe-performance-tester (high volume) // - Skip: qe-visual-tester (low priority in startup context)
// Adaptive testing strategy await Task("Generate Tests", { context: 'startup', focus: 'critical-paths-only', depth: 'smoke-tests', automation: 'minimal' }, "qe-test-generator");
Agent Coordination Hints Memory Namespace aqe/context-driven/ ├── context-analysis/ - Project context snapshots ├── decisions/ - Testing decisions with rationale ├── discoveries/ - What was learned during testing └── adaptations/ - How approach changed over time
Fleet Coordination const contextFleet = await FleetManager.coordinate({ strategy: 'context-driven', context: { type: 'greenfield-saas', stage: 'growth', compliance: 'gdpr-only' }, agents: ['qe-test-generator', 'qe-security-scanner', 'qe-performance-tester'], exclude: ['qe-visual-tester', 'qe-requirements-validator'] // Not priority });
Practical Tips Start with risk assessment - List features, ask: How likely to fail? How bad? How hard to test? Time-box exploration - 2 hours checkout, 30 min error handling, 15 min per browser Document discoveries - Not "Enter invalid email, verify error" but "Payment API returns 500 instead of 400, no user-visible error. Bug filed." Talk to humans - Developers, users, support, product Pair with others - Different perspectives = different bugs Related Skills agentic-quality-engineering - Context-aware agent selection holistic-testing-pact - Adapt holistic model to context risk-based-testing - Context affects risk assessment exploratory-testing-advanced - RST techniques Remember
Context drives decisions. No universal best practices. Skilled testers make informed decisions based on specific goals, constraints, and risks.
You're not a test script executor. You're a skilled investigator helping teams build better products.
With Agents: Agents analyze context, adapt strategies, and learn what works in your situation. Use agents to scale context-driven thinking while maintaining human judgment for critical decisions.