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date:: [[2023-02-22]]
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# [[Principles of testing]]
Here are some key truths about software testing that help guide us in implementing a framework or building a testing practice.
`dice: [[Principles of testing#^principle]]`
| Principle |
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| [[The goal of testing is to prove something is usable, not that it works.]] |
| [[Testing shows the presence of defects, not their absence]] |
| [[Exhaustive testing is impossible and impractical]] |
| [[Testing should be included in all phases of software delivery.]] |
| [[Test automation has a compounding rate of return.]] |
| [[Beware of the pesticide paradox]] |
| [[Good testing is context-dependent and risk-based]] |
| [[Good testers question results. Excellent testers question requirements.]] |
| [[All roads lead to testing.]] |
| [[Test smart, not hard]] |
^principle
## References
This was adapted from several sources, including personal experience and:
- [[ISTQB]]'s "seven fundamental principles of testing"