Brian Marick came up with a way to categorize the different types by 2 dimensions:
- Tests that support programming or the team and tests that critique the product
- Tests that are technology facing and tests that are business facing
Test that support the team: These are tests that help the team build and change the application with confidence.
Test that critique the product: These are tests that help discover inadequacies in the product or feature.
Test that are technology facing: These are tests written from the perspective of a developer, in terms that a programmer understands using technical domain/functionality.
Test that are business facing: These are tests written from the perspective of a business person, in terms the business can understand using business domain/terminology.
The diagram above shows how the different types of tests map out in the Testing Quadrant:
Also check out the entire Agile Testing series:
- 4 Typical Transitions Teams Go Through When They First Start Adopting Scrum
- The Most Common Misunderstanding of Agile Software Development
- What are the Different Types of Tests?
- What is The Agile Testing Quadrant?
- Which Tests Should We Automate?
- How Many Tests Are Enough?
- What is The Testing Pyramid?
- When Do We Start Testing in Scrum?
- Who Is Responsible for Testing in Scrum?
- What is Test Driven Development (TDD)?
- Why You Shouldn’t Do Functional Testing From the UI?
- What are Executable Specifications or Specifications by Example?
- What is Acceptance Test Driven Development (ATTD)?
- Testing Green Field Applications vs. Legacy Applications
- What is Exploratory Testing?
- Top 8 Things to Consider for Your Agile Testing Strategy
- Agile Testing – Testing from Day 1 Presentation
