itsual Testing Strategy
Overview
Not every test provides equal value. A good strategy maximizes confidence per unit of effort and keeps the suite fast and reliable.
When to Use
- Starting a new project or major component
- Reviewing an existing test suite that is slow, flaky, or low-value
- Deciding the right level of testing for a change
Test Pyramid / Trophy Guidance
- Many fast, focused unit tests for domain logic and pure functions
- Fewer integration tests for critical boundaries (DB, external services)
- Selective end-to-end / browser tests for the most important user journeys
- Contract tests when multiple teams or services share interfaces
Principles
- Test behavior and outcomes more than implementation details
- Optimize for quick feedback on the most common failures
- Treat flakiness as a high-priority bug
- Make test failures diagnostic
Verification
- Critical paths have appropriate coverage at the right level
- The suite is fast enough to run frequently
- Flaky tests are actively managed