Terms and Definitions

Test Specification

Test case specifications are important documentation types in automotive testing across all different kinds of testing methodologies (from requirements-based to interface testing, fault injection, resource usage, and so on) and have a direct impact on the testing process.

The test specification describes everything that is required for the test execution. This includes both the test environment and the sequence that describes the test execution. As part of the testing process, several steps are carried out and include the following activities:

• Test planning
• Test monitoring and control
• Test analysis and test design
• Test implementation
• Test execution
• Test completion

So, the test specification is the complete documentation of test design and test implementation and includes test cases and other necessary information to run those test cases. As part of the start-up phase, the preparations, follow-up work, and actions for “cleaning up” are defined. In the context of test design, the focus is on identifying and defining the required test cases. The aim is to define what exactly we want to test and to recognize defined scenarios. As a result, we get a wrapper for the test cases as the sequence to be executed.

For this purpose the generic structure of the test specification is broken down into three components.

1. The first of them is the test model specification or test design specification, which describe the target of testing and the model used by the tester to derive test cases:
   a. Traditional feature sets
   b. Test coverage items
   c. Test models
2. The test case specification, which describes the test cases
3. The test procedure specification, which describes how test cases are grouped with additional information necessary to perform testing

The ISTQB standard defines the test specification as a document that consists of a test design specification, test case specification (describing one or more test cases), and/or test procedure specification.

Referenced standards:

• ISTQB
• ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119
• Retired IEEE 829