Context-Driven Testing
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
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
- Start with risk assessment - List features, ask: How likely to fail? How bad? How hard to test?
- Time-box exploration - 2 hours checkout, 30 min error handling, 15 min per browser
- Document discoveries - Not "Enter invalid email, verify error" but "Payment API returns 500 instead of 400, no user-visible error. Bug filed."
- Talk to humans - Developers, users, support, product
- Pair with others - Different perspectives = different bugs
Related Skills
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.
1---2name: context-driven-testing3description: 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.4---5
6# Context-Driven Testing
7
8<default_to_action>
9When making testing decisions or adapting approaches:
101. ANALYZE context: project goals, constraints, risks, team skills
112. QUESTION practices: "Why this? What risk does it address? What's the cost?"
123. INVESTIGATE not just check: Does software solve the problem, or create new ones?
134. ADAPT approach based on context, not "best practices"
145. DOCUMENT discoveries, not pre-written plans
15
16**Quick Context Analysis:**
17- Mission: "Find important problems fast enough to matter" (not "execute test cases")
18- Risk: Safety-critical = high rigor; internal tool = lighter touch
19- Constraints: Startup with tight timeline ≠ enterprise with compliance
20- Skills: Novice needs structure; expert adapts intuitively
21
22**Critical Success Factors:**
23- No "best practices" work everywhere - only good practices in context
24- Testing is investigation, not script execution
25- Context changes; your approach should too
26</default_to_action>
27
28## Quick Reference Card
29
30### When to Use
31- Making testing decisions for new project
32- Questioning "that's how it's done" dogma
33- Adapting approach to specific constraints
34- Exploratory testing sessions
35
36### RST Heuristics
37| Heuristic | Application |
38|-----------|-------------|
39| **SFDIPOT** | Structure, Function, Data, Interfaces, Platform, Operations, Time |
40| **Oracles** | Consistency with history, similar products, expectations, docs |
41| **Tours** | Business District, Historical, Bad Neighborhood, Tourist, Museum |
42
43---
44
45## Context-Driven Decisions
46
47### Example: Test Automation Level
48
49**Startup Context:**
50- Small team, rapid changes, unclear product-market fit
51- **Decision:** Light automation on critical paths, heavy exploratory
52- **Rationale:** Requirements change too fast for extensive automation
53
54**Enterprise Context:**
55- Stable features, regulatory requirements, large team
56- **Decision:** Comprehensive automated regression suite
57- **Rationale:** Stability allows automation investment to pay off
58
59### Example: Documentation
60
61**Regulated (FDA/medical):**
62- **Decision:** Detailed test protocols, traceability matrices
63- **Rationale:** Regulatory compliance isn't optional
64
65**Fast-paced startup:**
66- **Decision:** Lightweight session notes, risk logs
67- **Rationale:** Bureaucracy slows more than it helps
68
69---
70
71## Agent-Assisted Context-Driven Testing
72
73```typescript
74// Agent analyzes context and recommends approach
75const context = await Task("Analyze Context", {
76 project: 'e-commerce-platform',
77 stage: 'startup',
78 constraints: ['timeline: tight', 'budget: limited'],
79 risks: ['payment-security', 'high-volume']
80}, "qe-fleet-commander");
81
82// Context-aware agent selection
83// - qe-security-scanner (critical risk)
84// - qe-performance-tester (high volume)
85// - Skip: qe-visual-tester (low priority in startup context)
86
87// Adaptive testing strategy
88await Task("Generate Tests", {
89 context: 'startup',
90 focus: 'critical-paths-only',
91 depth: 'smoke-tests',
92 automation: 'minimal'
93}, "qe-test-generator");
94```
95
96---
97
98## Agent Coordination Hints
99
100### Memory Namespace
101```
102aqe/context-driven/
103├── context-analysis/* - Project context snapshots
104├── decisions/* - Testing decisions with rationale
105├── discoveries/* - What was learned during testing
106└── adaptations/* - How approach changed over time
107```
108
109### Fleet Coordination
110```typescript
111const contextFleet = await FleetManager.coordinate({
112 strategy: 'context-driven',
113 context: {
114 type: 'greenfield-saas',
115 stage: 'growth',
116 compliance: 'gdpr-only'
117 },
118 agents: ['qe-test-generator', 'qe-security-scanner', 'qe-performance-tester'],
119 exclude: ['qe-visual-tester', 'qe-requirements-validator'] // Not priority
120});
121```
122
123---
124
125## Practical Tips
126
1271. **Start with risk assessment** - List features, ask: How likely to fail? How bad? How hard to test?
1282. **Time-box exploration** - 2 hours checkout, 30 min error handling, 15 min per browser
1293. **Document discoveries** - Not "Enter invalid email, verify error" but "Payment API returns 500 instead of 400, no user-visible error. Bug filed."
1304. **Talk to humans** - Developers, users, support, product
1315. **Pair with others** - Different perspectives = different bugs
132
133---
134
135## Related Skills
136- [agentic-quality-engineering](../agentic-quality-engineering/) - Context-aware agent selection
137- [holistic-testing-pact](../holistic-testing-pact/) - Adapt holistic model to context
138- [risk-based-testing](../risk-based-testing/) - Context affects risk assessment
139- [exploratory-testing-advanced](../exploratory-testing-advanced/) - RST techniques
140
141---
142
143## Remember
144
145**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.
proffesor-for-testing