A Test Design being guided by the Test Strategy

In this post, this image looks to have too much structures around it.  But, it is not. It is very simple one as I see it.  It is simple when I happen to understand the Test Strategy and what is the help out of it.  Having said this, why is that simple, because, it is from the fundamentals and nothing else.

If I understand, Test Strategy is set of ideas which directs my test ideas and test execution, then the test strategy has influence on Test Design.  Where the test design consists of these elements necessarily within it and it is as below.

1. Test Model
2. Knowing the Oracle
3. Knowing what is my Test Coverage
4. How do I operate my tests and execution of it.

The below picture says the same in the equating form.

The same applies when I have to figure out how to approach the automation for assisting my testing. I use this and when it requires a change in the context, I will do it accordingly and try to get most out of it.

Update (on 23rd Aug 2016):  I unlearn and learn the equation represented as this is more meaningful:

Test Strategy = { Ideas <--> Test Design + Test Execution}

As the test design and test execution in turn helps the ideas to evolve better as the testing progresses.

Inside Out of Test Design: Test Technique Identification with help of Test Model and Strategy -- Part 2

From the overlapping, I move ahead to learn how the test, technique and design is part of each other, I see, the three more now by adding to conversation.  It is -- Coverage, Action, Information (Potential Problem), and Assessment. This looks to be me as in the below image. 

Figure: Test Design and Identification of Test Technique

I understand this for Test Model -- a representation by which I'm learning the product either associatively or relatively or by both means. Further, I can still refine the model to specific learning i.e. to assist in obtaining the specific type of information from my testing.

Moving ahead, I will learn what information is expected from my testing. Knowing this, I will have to build a Test Model or use a existing one, to understand the product and my tests which I will be executing. The Test Model will help me to learn critical factors associated to product, environment, project and related components.

Now, I will have to choose the test techniques or build one. This has to assist me in building and strengthening tests by involving the heuristic within it also by identifying the heuristic from Test Model and tests.  This heuristic will help me to understand the outcome of test.

When I have figured out (or as I figuring out) the Test Model, Test Technique, and Heuristic for the test, I will have know what is the Test Coverage to be accomplished in context of testing.  This gives the dimensions and influencing description to say why is this my Test Strategy, and why I have made use of this model, technique, and heuristic to arrive at this coverage. As I execute my test and the way in which I record it, this overall constitutes the part of my Test Design.

Looking at the techniques, I have known there classification from the Software Testing books as Black Box, White Box and Grey Box. I'm learning there is much more within each of these types than the books say.

To summarize my so far learning, I see, the Test Techniques is one of the outcome of Test Strategy. The test strategy directs me to pick or build a Test Model. With the help of Test Model(s), I will execute the test by learning how I have to execute it and to what extent using the technique(s) (which is also a heuristic).

Inside Out of Test Design: When each disguises each other - Test, Design, and Techniques -- Part 1

I have been and continuing to be mesmerized about the Design Patterns in programming space. While I'm continuing to look at the Design Pattern, I ask myself is there anything similar in the 'software testing' space? If software programming and software testing are subset of a super set, the engineering, then design pattern and test design are to each other. That is, the both exist to support each other well enough in the context. Isn't it?  This is the question among lot other which runs in me when I think about Test Design.

Further, I go into my thoughts (of today) for letting know myself what I understand for 'test', 'design' and 'techniques', I hear below from me.

• test -- An experiment which is an open ended and whose outcome is unknown.
• design --  The set of ideas which says how to (I) use it or how to go about; and how I see it further to use it by learning. How simple it is to use for me, those are the attributes of design with the learnability in context being prominent.  In other ways, it comprises of pattern as soon as I say, 'design'.  Each design has a pattern isn't it?
• technique --  applying; i.e. a skill being applied to study, observe and evaluate a subject of interest further.

While I'm learning this, do I see a familiarity or the familiarities in these three above said?  May be this familiarity or these familiarities, it disguises each other while they are distinct and co-exist mutually in practicality of Software Testing practice.

Why one cannot see the differences or draw the differences between these other is, a simple fact. Yes, the fact, which is not studied quite often; hence it is a fact.  The unquestioned fact is, all three of these are heuristics - which helps in discovering, learning and solving, while it can fail as well.

A test does not help one to learn, discover and solve? But how a test can fail? Test never fails, it provides the information and I tag the label of true positive or false positive to the outcome of it. Likewise, is the design and technique, it helps in discovering, learning and solving; and as well it can fail too. But how do I see the 'fail' in case of design and technique is -- it did not meet the purpose or serve the purpose. Because out of the design and technique, I expect the discrete value which is of usabale, reusable and valuable. Whereas for a test, I see the information is an outcome from the execution of it (or out of not execution as well; not testing is as well a useful test in a context).  This is where the disguising appears by each others to each other.