htsm-categories

HTSM v6.3 Quality Criteria Categories

James Bach's Heuristic Test Strategy Model (HTSM) v6.3 Quality Criteria framework.

1. Capability

**Can it perform the required functions?**

| Subcategory | Focus | |-------------|-------| | Sufficiency | Does it do what it's supposed to? | | Correctness | Does it do it correctly? |

**Priority Indicators:**

• P0: Core business functionality
• P1: Important features
• P2: Secondary features
• P3: Nice-to-have features

2. Reliability

**Will it work well and resist failure?**

| Subcategory | Focus | |-------------|-------| | Robustness | Can it handle adverse conditions? | | Error Handling | Does it handle errors gracefully? | | Data Integrity | Is data protected from corruption? | | Safety | Does it avoid dangerous behaviors? |

**Cannot be omitted** - All systems can fail.

3. Usability

**How easy is it for real users?**

| Subcategory | Focus | |-------------|-------| | Learnability | How quickly can users learn? | | Operability | How easy to operate day-to-day? | | Accessibility | Can users with disabilities use it? |

4. Charisma

**How appealing is the product?**

| Subcategory | Focus | |-------------|-------| | Aesthetics | Is it visually pleasing? | | Uniqueness | Does it stand out? | | Entrancement | Does it engage users? | | Image | Does it project the right brand? |

**Note:** "Brand guidelines handled separately" is NOT a valid omission reason. Charisma is about UX testing, not brand documentation.

5. Security

**How well protected against unauthorized use?**

| Subcategory | Focus | |-------------|-------| | Authentication | Who is using it? | | Authorization | What are they allowed to do? | | Privacy | Is personal data protected? | | Security Holes | Are there vulnerabilities? |

**Cannot be omitted** - Every system has attack surface.

6. Scalability

**How well does deployment scale?**

| Subcategory | Focus | |-------------|-------| | Load Handling | Behavior under increased demand | | Resource Efficiency | Resource usage at scale |

7. Compatibility

**Works with external components?**

| Subcategory | Focus | |-------------|-------| | Application | Works with other applications? | | OS | Works with target operating systems? | | Hardware | Works with target hardware? | | Backward | Works with previous versions? | | Product Footprint | Resource requirements acceptable? |

8. Performance

**How speedy and responsive?**

| Subcategory | Focus | |-------------|-------| | Response Time | Under various conditions | | Throughput | Data processing capacity | | Efficiency | Resource utilization |

**Cannot be omitted** - Every system has response time.

9. Installability

**How easily installed?**

| Subcategory | Focus | |-------------|-------| | System Requirements | Clear and achievable? | | Configuration | Easy to configure? | | Uninstallation | Clean removal? | | Upgrades/Patches | Easy to update? | | Administration | Easy to administer? |

**Valid omission:** Pure SaaS/browser-based with no client installation.

10. Development

**How well can we create/test/modify?**

| Subcategory | Focus | |-------------|-------| | Supportability | Easy to support? | | Testability | Easy to test? | | Maintainability | Easy to maintain? | | Portability | Easy to port? | | Localizability | Easy to localize? |

**Cannot be omitted** - Always applies to software.

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Priority Assignment Guide

| Priority | Definition | Example | |----------|------------|---------| | **P0 (Critical)** | Failure causes immediate business/user harm | Payment failures, data breaches | | **P1 (High)** | Critical to core user value proposition | Core features not working | | **P2 (Medium)** | Affects satisfaction but not blocking | Secondary features | | **P3 (Low)** | Nice-to-have improvements | Polish, edge case optimization |

Valid vs Invalid Omission Reasons

| Category | Valid Omission | Invalid Omission | |----------|----------------|------------------| | Installability | "Pure SaaS, no client installation" | "Handled by ops team" | | Charisma | "CLI tool, visual design N/A" | "Brand guidelines separate" | | Compatibility | "Single-platform by contract" | "Will test on main browsers" | | Development | **NEVER** | "Team is experienced" | | Security | **NEVER** | "Internal system only" |