/context-driven-testing

name: context-driven-testing
description: "Apply context-driven testing principles where practices are chosen based on project context, not universal 'best practices'. Use when making testing decisions, questioning dogma, or adapting approaches to specific project needs."
category: testing-methodologies
priority: high
tokenEstimate: 1100
agents: [qe-fleet-commander, qe-regression-risk-analyzer, qe-requirements-validator, qe-quality-analyzer]
implementation_status: optimized
optimization_version: 1.0
last_optimized: 2025-12-02
dependencies: []
quick_reference_card: true
tags: [context-driven, rst, exploratory, heuristics, oracles, skilled-testing]
trust_tier: 0
validation:

Context-Driven Testing

<default_to_action> When making testing decisions or adapting approaches: 1. ANALYZE context: project goals, constraints, risks, team skills 2. QUESTION practices: "Why this? What risk does it address? What's the cost?" 3. INVESTIGATE not just check: Does software solve the problem, or create new ones? 4. ADAPT approach based on context, not "best practices" 5. DOCUMENT discoveries, not pre-written plans

**Quick Context Analysis:**

• Mission: "Find important problems fast enough to matter" (not "execute test cases")
• Risk: Safety-critical = high rigor; internal tool = lighter touch
• Constraints: Startup with tight timeline ≠ enterprise with compliance
• Skills: Novice needs structure; expert adapts intuitively

**Critical Success Factors:**

• No "best practices" work everywhere - only good practices in context
• Testing is investigation, not script execution
• Context changes; your approach should too

</default_to_action>

Quick Reference Card

When to Use

• Making testing decisions for new project
• Questioning "that's how it's done" dogma
• Adapting approach to specific constraints
• Exploratory testing sessions

RST Heuristics

| Heuristic | Application | |-----------|-------------| | **SFDIPOT** | Structure, Function, Data, Interfaces, Platform, Operations, Time | | **Oracles** | Consistency with history, similar products, expectations, docs | | **Tours** | Business District, Historical, Bad Neighborhood, Tourist, Museum |

---

Context-Driven Decisions

Example: Test Automation Level

**Startup Context:**

• Small team, rapid changes, unclear product-market fit
• **Decision:** Light automation on critical paths, heavy exploratory
• **Rationale:** Requirements change too fast for extensive automation

**Enterprise Context:**

• Stable features, regulatory requirements, large team
• **Decision:** Comprehensive automated regression suite
• **Rationale:** Stability allows automation investment to pay off

Example: Documentation

**Regulated (FDA/medical):**

• **Decision:** Detailed test protocols, traceability matrices
• **Rationale:** Regulatory compliance isn't optional

**Fast-paced startup:**

• **Decision:** Lightweight session notes, risk logs
• **Rationale:** Bureaucracy slows more than it helps

---

Agent-Assisted Context-Driven Testing

// Agent analyzes context and recommends approach
const context = await Task("Analyze Context", {
  project: 'e-commerce-platform',
  stage: 'startup',
  constraints: ['timeline: tight', 'budget: limited'],
  risks: ['payment-security', 'high-volume']
}, "qe-fleet-commander");

// Context-aware agent selection
// - qe-security-scanner (critical risk)
// - qe-performance-tester (high volume)
// - Skip: qe-visual-tester (low priority in startup context)

// Adaptive testing strategy
await Task("Generate Tests", {
  context: 'startup',
  focus: 'critical-paths-only',
  depth: 'smoke-tests',
  automation: 'minimal'
}, "qe-test-generator");

---

Agent Coordination Hints

Memory Namespace

aqe/context-driven/
├── context-analysis/*    - Project context snapshots
├── decisions/*           - Testing decisions with rationale
├── discoveries/*         - What was learned during testing
└── adaptations/*         - How approach changed over time

Fleet Coordination

const contextFleet = await FleetManager.coordinate({
  strategy: 'context-driven',
  context: {
    type: 'greenfield-saas',
    stage: 'growth',
    compliance: 'gdpr-only'
  },
  agents: ['qe-test-generator', 'qe-security-scanner', 'qe-performance-tester'],
  exclude: ['qe-visual-tester', 'qe-requirements-validator']  // Not priority
});

---

Practical Tips

1. **Start with risk assessment** - List features, ask: How likely to fail? How bad? How hard to test? 2. **Time-box exploration** - 2 hours checkout, 30 min error handling, 15 min per browser 3. **Document discoveries** - Not "Enter invalid email, verify error" but "Payment API returns 500 instead of 400, no user-visible error. Bug filed." 4. **Talk to humans** - Developers, users, support, product 5. **Pair with others** - Different perspectives = different bugs

---

Related Skills

• [agentic-quality-engineering](../agentic-quality-engineering/) - Context-aware agent selection
• [holistic-testing-pact](../holistic-testing-pact/) - Adapt holistic model to context
• [risk-based-testing](../risk-based-testing/) - Context affects risk assessment
• [exploratory-testing-advanced](../exploratory-testing-advanced/) - RST techniques

---

Remember

**With Agents:** Agents analyze context, adapt strategies, and learn what works in your situation. Use agents to scale context-driven thinking while maintaining human judgment for critical decisions.