178: The Five Factors of Automated Software Testing

"There are five practical reasons that we write tests. Whether we realize it or not, our personal testing philosophy is based on how we judge the relative importance of these reasons." - Sarah Mei

This episode discusses the factors.

Sarah's order:

1. Verify the code is working correctly
2. Prevent future regressions
3. Document the code’s behavior
4. Provide design guidance
5. Support refactoring

Brian's order:

1. Verify the code is working correctly
2. Prevent future regressions
3. Support refactoring
4. Provide design guidance
5. Document the code’s behavior

The episode includes reasons why I've re-ordered them.

Links:

• Five Factor Testing - Sarah Mei