/test-idea-rewriting

name: test-idea-rewriting
description: "Transform passive 'Verify X' test descriptions into active, observable test actions. Use when test ideas lack specificity, use vague language, or fail quality validation. Converts to action-verb format for clearer, more testable descriptions."
category: test-design
priority: medium
tokenEstimate: 800
agents: [qe-test-idea-rewriter]
implementation_status: optimized
optimization_version: 1.0
last_optimized: 2026-01-17
dependencies: []
quick_reference_card: true
tags: [test-ideas, rewriting, action-verbs, quality, transformation]

Test Idea Rewriting

<default_to_action> When transforming test ideas: 1. DETECT all "Verify X" patterns via regex 2. IDENTIFY appropriate action verb category 3. TRANSFORM to "[ACTION] [trigger]; [OBSERVE] [result]" pattern 4. PRESERVE all metadata (IDs, priorities, automation types) 5. VALIDATE zero "Verify" patterns remain 6. OUTPUT in same format as input

**Success Criteria:** `/<td>Verify\s/gi` returns 0 matches </default_to_action>

Quick Reference Card

Transformation Pattern

[ACTION VERB] [specific trigger]; [OUTCOME VERB] [observable result]

Action Verb Quick Reference

| Category | Verbs | Use When | |----------|-------|----------| | **Interaction** | Click, Type, Submit, Navigate, Scroll | UI actions | | **Trigger** | Send, Inject, Force, Simulate, Load | API/system actions | | **Measurement** | Measure, Time, Count, Profile | Performance checks | | **State** | Set, Configure, Enable, Disable, Toggle | Setup actions | | **Observation** | Confirm, Assert, Check, Observe | Outcome verification |

Common Transformations

| Before | After | |--------|-------| | Verify login works | Submit valid credentials; confirm session created | | Verify API returns 200 | Send GET request; assert 200 response within 500ms | | Verify error displays | Trigger validation error; observe error message | | Verify data saves | Insert record; query database; confirm fields match | | Verify performance | Execute 100 requests; measure p99 < 200ms |

---

Transformation Rules

Pattern Detection

/<td>Verify\s/gi     // HTML table cells
/^Verify\s/gim       // Line starts
/"Verify\s[^"]+"/gi  // Quoted strings

Transformation Categories

API/Network Tests

| Input Pattern | Output Pattern | |---------------|----------------| | Verify API returns X | Send [METHOD] request; assert [STATUS] response | | Verify endpoint accepts Y | Post [PAYLOAD] to endpoint; confirm [RESPONSE] | | Verify webhook fires | Trigger [EVENT]; observe webhook received |

UI/UX Tests

| Input Pattern | Output Pattern | |---------------|----------------| | Verify button works | Click [BUTTON]; observe [EFFECT] | | Verify form submits | Fill [FIELDS]; submit form; confirm [RESULT] | | Verify navigation works | Click [LINK]; observe [PAGE] loads |

Data Tests

| Input Pattern | Output Pattern | |---------------|----------------| | Verify data saves | Insert [RECORD]; query; confirm [MATCH] | | Verify validation works | Enter [INVALID]; observe [ERROR] | | Verify format accepted | Submit [FORMAT]; confirm [PROCESSED] |

Performance Tests

| Input Pattern | Output Pattern | |---------------|----------------| | Verify performance is good | Execute [LOAD]; measure [METRIC] < [THRESHOLD] | | Verify scalability | Increase [USERS] to [N]; monitor [RESOURCE] | | Verify timeout works | Inject [DELAY]; confirm timeout after [TIME] |

---

Action Verb Reference

Interaction Verbs

| Verb | When to Use | Example | |------|-------------|---------| | Click | UI element interaction | Click "Submit" button | | Type | Text entry | Type "user@example.com" | | Submit | Form completion | Submit registration form | | Navigate | Page changes | Navigate to /settings | | Scroll | Viewport movement | Scroll to page bottom | | Drag | Drag-and-drop | Drag file to upload zone | | Hover | Mouse positioning | Hover over tooltip trigger | | Select | Dropdown/checkbox | Select "Admin" from role dropdown |

Trigger Verbs

| Verb | When to Use | Example | |------|-------------|---------| | Send | HTTP requests | Send POST to /api/orders | | Inject | Fault injection | Inject 500ms latency | | Force | State manipulation | Force offline mode | | Simulate | Event generation | Simulate device rotation | | Load | Resource loading | Load 50MB test file | | Execute | Script/command | Execute database migration | | Invoke | Function/webhook | Invoke payment callback | | Trigger | Event firing | Trigger scheduled job |

Measurement Verbs

| Verb | When to Use | Example | |------|-------------|---------| | Measure | Quantitative check | Measure response time | | Time | Duration tracking | Time page render | | Count | Quantity check | Count search results | | Profile | Resource analysis | Profile CPU usage | | Benchmark | Comparison | Benchmark against v1.0 | | Capture | State recording | Capture network traffic | | Monitor | Ongoing observation | Monitor memory for 5 minutes |

Observation Verbs

| Verb | When to Use | Example | |------|-------------|---------| | Confirm | Boolean check | Confirm user is logged in | | Assert | Value comparison | Assert total equals $99.99 | | Check | State verification | Check cart has 3 items | | Observe | Behavior watching | Observe spinner appears | | Validate | Rule compliance | Validate email format | | Expect | Predicted outcome | Expect redirect to /home | | Verify (avoid) | Use alternatives | Use confirm/assert instead |

---

Quality Validation

Pre-Transform Checks

1. Count "Verify" patterns in input 2. Identify context for each pattern 3. Map to appropriate action verb category

Post-Transform Checks

1. Regex validation: zero "Verify" matches 2. Every test idea starts with action verb 3. Each test includes observable outcome 4. All metadata preserved unchanged

Validation Regex

// Must return 0 matches for success
const verifyPattern = /<td>Ver