Boundary Value Analysis

Boundary Value Analysis

Read First

• ./references/boundary-value-analysis.md
• ./references/test-design-shared-conventions.md
• ./assets/templates/partition-table.j2
• ./assets/templates/test-case-table.j2
• ./assets/templates/test-case.j2

Workflow

1. Confirm the requirement has a true ordered boundary.
2. Extract each condition with its inclusive or exclusive limits.
3. If inclusivity, units, or the meaning of zero are unclear, ask before proceeding.
4. Use 3-value BVA by default: just below, on, and just above each boundary.
5. Use 2-value BVA only when the user explicitly asks for it.
6. Generate tests that keep the cause of failure obvious. Avoid combining multiple invalid boundaries in one test unless the user asks for stress coverage.

Required Output

• boundary inventory
• boundary-to-test mapping
• detailed or summarized test cases, depending on the user's requested level of detail
• coverage note describing which boundaries were exercised

Guardrails

• Do not treat unordered categories as BVA candidates.
• Do not invent boundaries that are not implied by the requirement.
• Separate inferred boundaries from stated ones.