risk-based-testing

name	risk-based-testing
description	Focus testing effort on highest-risk areas using risk assessment and prioritization. Use when planning test strategy, allocating testing resources, or making coverage decisions.
category	testing-methodologies
priority	high
tokenEstimate	1000
agents	["qe-regression-risk-analyzer","qe-test-generator","qe-production-intelligence","qe-quality-gate"]
implementation_status	optimized
optimization_version	1
last_optimized	"2025-12-02T00:00:00.000Z"
dependencies	[]
quick_reference_card	true
tags	["risk","prioritization","test-planning","coverage","impact-analysis"]
trust_tier	3
allowed-tools	["Read","Bash","Grep","Glob"]
validation	{"schema_path":"schemas/output.json","validator_path":"scripts/validate-config.json","eval_path":"evals/risk-based-testing.yaml"}

Risk-Based Testing

<default_to_action> When planning tests or allocating testing resources:

1. IDENTIFY risks per component (use 1-5 scale for probability and impact)
2. PRIORITIZE: Critical (20+) → High (12-19) → Medium (6-11) → Low (1-5)
3. ALLOCATE effort: 60% critical, 25% high, 10% medium, 5% low
4. REASSESS continuously: Production incidents raise risk; stable code lowers it </default_to_action>

Quick Reference Card

When to Use

• Planning sprint/release test strategy
• Deciding what to automate first
• Allocating limited testing time
• Justifying test coverage decisions

Effort Allocation by Risk Score

Score	Priority	Effort	Action
20-25	Critical	60%	Comprehensive testing, multiple techniques
12-19	High	25%	Thorough testing, automation priority
6-11	Medium	10%	Standard testing, basic automation
1-5	Low	5%	Smoke test, exploratory only

---

Apply Test Depth by Risk

await Task("Risk-Based Test Generation", {
  critical: {
    features: ['checkout', 'payment'],
    depth: 'comprehensive',
    techniques: ['unit', 'integration', 'e2e', 'performance', 'security']
  },
  high: {
    features: ['auth', 'user-profile'],
    depth: 'thorough',
    techniques: ['unit', 'integration', ]
  },
  : {
    : [, ],
    : ,
    : [, ]
  },
  : {
    : [, ],
    : ,
    : []
  }
}, );