Intelligent Design

All testing is model-based. Good tests require intelligent design. Testers use mental models of system behavior when creating and executing tests. Scripted tests are created from the designers’ mental models prior to test execution and do not change based on the results. Exploratory testing starts with a pre-conceived mental model that is refined as tests are executed. Whether scripted or exploratory, human testers are capable of applying information they learn during test execution to improve the testing. Computers cannot adjust scripted test cases during execution. What if automated tests could apply behavioral models to generate tests that go where no manual tester has gone before?