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# Risk-Based Testing Guide
## Purpose
This guide replaces the traditional Test Pyramid (70/20/10 ratio) with a **Value-Based Testing Framework** that prioritizes business risk and practical test limits. The goal is to write tests that matter, not to chase coverage metrics.
**Problem solved:** Traditional Test Pyramid approach generates excessive tests (~200 per Story) by mechanically testing every conditional branch. This creates maintenance burden without proportional business value.
**Solution:** Risk-Based Testing with clear prioritization criteria and enforced limits (10-28 tests max per Story).
## Core Philosophy
### Kent Beck's Principle
> "Write tests. Not too many. Mostly integration."
### Key Insights
1. **Test business value, not code coverage** - 80% coverage means nothing if critical payment flow isn't tested
2. **Manual testing has value** - Not every scenario needs automated test duplication
3. **Each test has maintenance cost** - More tests = more refactoring overhead
4. **Integration tests catch real bugs** - Unit tests catch edge cases in isolation
5. **E2E tests validate user value** - Only E2E proves the feature actually works end-to-end
## Minimum Viable Testing Philosophy
### Start Minimal, Justify Additions
**Baseline for every Story:**
- **2 E2E tests** per endpoint: Positive scenario (happy path) + Negative scenario (critical error)
- **0 Integration tests** (E2E covers full stack by default)
- **0 Unit tests** (E2E covers simple logic by default)
**Realistic goal: 2-7 tests per Story** (not 10-28!)
**Additional tests ONLY with critical justification:**
- Test #3 and beyond: Each requires documented answer to "Why does this test OUR business logic (not framework/library/database)?"
- Priority ≥15 required for all additional tests
- Auto-trim to 7 tests if plan exceeds realistic goal
### Critical Justification Questions
Before adding ANY test beyond 2 baseline E2E, answer:
1.**Does this test OUR business logic?**
- ✅ YES: Tax calculation with country-specific rules (OUR algorithm)
- ❌ NO: bcrypt hashing (library behavior)
- ❌ NO: Prisma query execution (framework behavior)
- ❌ NO: PostgreSQL LIKE operator (database behavior)
2.**Is this already covered by 2 baseline E2E tests?**
- ✅ NO: E2E doesn't exercise all branches of complex calculation
- ❌ YES: E2E test validates full flow end-to-end
3.**Priority ≥15?**
- ✅ YES: Money, security, data integrity
- ❌ NO: Skip, manual testing sufficient
4.**Unique business value?**
- ✅ YES: Tests different scenario than existing tests
- ❌ NO: Duplicate coverage
**If ANY answer is ❌ NO → SKIP this test**
## Risk Priority Matrix
### Calculation Formula
```
Priority = Business Impact (1-5) × Probability of Failure (1-5)
```
**Result ranges:**
- **Priority ≥15 (15-25):** MUST test - critical scenarios
- **Priority 9-14:** SHOULD test if not already covered
- **Priority ≤8 (1-8):** SKIP - manual testing sufficient
### Business Impact Scoring (1-5)
| Score | Impact Level | Examples |
|-------|--------------|----------|
| **5** | **Critical** | Money loss, security breach, data corruption, legal liability |
| **4** | **High** | Core business flow breaks (cannot complete purchase, cannot login) |
| **3** | **Medium** | Feature partially broken (search works but pagination fails) |
| **2** | **Low** | Minor UX issue (button disabled state wrong, tooltip missing) |
| **1** | **Trivial** | Cosmetic bug (color slightly off, spacing issue) |
### Probability of Failure Scoring (1-5)
| Score | Probability | Indicators |
|-------|-------------|------------|
| **5** | **Very High (>50%)** | Complex algorithm, external API, new technology, no existing tests |
| **4** | **High (25-50%)** | Multiple dependencies, concurrency, state management |
| **3** | **Medium (10-25%)** | Standard CRUD, framework defaults, well-tested patterns |
| **2** | **Low (5-10%)** | Simple logic, established library, copy-paste from working code |
| **1** | **Very Low (<5%)** | Trivial assignment, framework-generated code |
### Priority Matrix Table
| | Probability 1 | Probability 2 | Probability 3 | Probability 4 | Probability 5 |
|---|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|---------------|
| **Impact 5** | 5 (SKIP) | 10 (SHOULD) | **15 (MUST)** | **20 (MUST)** | **25 (MUST)** |
| **Impact 4** | 4 (SKIP) | 8 (SKIP) | 12 (SHOULD) | **16 (MUST)** | **20 (MUST)** |
| **Impact 3** | 3 (SKIP) | 6 (SKIP) | 9 (SHOULD) | 12 (SHOULD) | **15 (MUST)** |
| **Impact 2** | 2 (SKIP) | 4 (SKIP) | 6 (SKIP) | 8 (SKIP) | 10 (SHOULD) |
| **Impact 1** | 1 (SKIP) | 2 (SKIP) | 3 (SKIP) | 4 (SKIP) | 5 (SKIP) |
## Test Type Decision Tree
### Step 1: Calculate Risk Priority
Use Risk Priority Matrix above.
### Step 2: Select Test Type
```
IF Priority ≥15 → Proceed to Step 3
ELSE IF Priority 9-14 → Check Anti-Duplication (Step 4), then Step 3
ELSE Priority ≤8 → SKIP (manual testing sufficient)
```
### Step 3: Choose Test Level
**E2E Test (2-5 max per Story):**
- **BASELINE (ALWAYS): 2 E2E tests per endpoint**
- Test 1: Positive scenario (happy path validating main AC)
- Test 2: Negative scenario (critical error handling)
- **ADDITIONAL (3-5): ONLY if Priority ≥15 AND justified**
- Critical edge case from manual testing
- Second endpoint (if Story implements multiple endpoints)
- **Examples:**
- User registers → receives email → confirms → can login
- User adds product → proceeds to checkout → pays → sees confirmation
- User uploads file → sees progress → file appears in list
**Integration Test (0-8 max per Story):**
- **DEFAULT: 0 Integration tests** (2 E2E tests cover full stack by default)
- **ADD ONLY if:** E2E doesn't cover interaction completely AND Priority ≥15 AND justified
- **Examples:**
- Transaction rollback on error (E2E tests happy path only)
- Concurrent request handling (E2E tests single request)
- External API error scenarios (500, timeout) with Priority ≥15
- **MANDATORY SKIP:**
- ❌ Simple pass-through calls (E2E already validates end-to-end)
- ❌ Testing framework integrations (Prisma client, TypeORM repository, Express app)
- ❌ Testing database query execution (database engine behavior)
**Unit Test (0-15 max per Story):**
- **DEFAULT: 0 Unit tests** (2 E2E tests cover simple logic by default)
- **ADD ONLY for complex business logic with Priority ≥15:**
- Financial calculations (tax, discount, currency conversion) **WITH COMPLEX RULES**
- Security algorithms (password strength, permission matrix) **WITH CUSTOM LOGIC**
- Complex business algorithms (scoring, matching, ranking) **WITH MULTIPLE FACTORS**
- **MANDATORY SKIP - DO NOT create unit tests for:**
- ❌ Simple CRUD operations (already covered by E2E)
- ❌ Framework code (Express middleware, React hooks, FastAPI dependencies)
- ❌ Library functions (bcrypt hashing, jsonwebtoken signing, axios requests)
- ❌ Database queries (Prisma findMany, TypeORM query builder, SQL joins)
- ❌ Getters/setters or simple property access
- ❌ Trivial conditionals (`if (user) return user.name`, `status === 'active'`)
- ❌ Pass-through functions (wrappers without logic)
- ❌ Performance/load testing (benchmarks, stress tests, scalability validation)
### Step 4: Anti-Duplication Check
Before writing ANY test, verify:
1. **Is this scenario already covered by E2E?**
- E2E tests payment flow → SKIP unit test for `calculateTotal()`
- E2E tests login → SKIP unit test for `validateEmail()`
2. **Is this testing framework code?**
- Testing Express `app.use()` → SKIP
- Testing React `useState` → SKIP
- Testing Prisma `findMany()` → SKIP
3. **Does this add unique business value?**
- E2E tests happy path → Unit test for edge case (negative price) → KEEP
- Integration test already validates DB transaction → SKIP duplicate unit test
4. **Is this a one-line function?**
- `getFullName() { return firstName + lastName }` → SKIP (E2E covers it)
## Test Limits Per Story
### Enforced Limits with Realistic Goals
| Test Type | Minimum | Realistic Goal | Maximum | Purpose |
|-----------|---------|----------------|---------|---------|
| **E2E** | 2 | 2 | 5 | Baseline: positive + negative per endpoint |
| **Integration** | 0 | 0-2 | 8 | ONLY if E2E doesn't cover interaction |
| **Unit** | 0 | 0-3 | 15 | ONLY complex business logic (financial/security/algorithms) |
| **TOTAL** | 2 | **2-7** | 28 | Start minimal, add only with justification |
**Key Change:** Test limits are now CEILINGS (maximum allowed), NOT targets to fill. Start with 2 E2E tests, add more only with critical justification.
### Rationale for Limits
**Why maximum 5 E2E?**
- E2E tests are slow (10-60 seconds each)
- Each Story typically has 2-4 Acceptance Criteria
- 1-2 E2E per AC is sufficient
- Edge cases covered by Integration/Unit tests
**Why maximum 8 Integration?**
- Integration tests validate layer interactions
- Typical Story has 3-5 integration points (API → Service → DB)
- 1-2 tests per integration point + error scenarios
**Why maximum 15 Unit?**
- Only test complex business logic
- Typical Story has 2-4 complex functions
- 3-5 tests per function (happy path + edge cases)
**Why total maximum 28?**
- Industry data: Stories with >30 tests rarely have proportional bug prevention
- Maintenance cost grows quadratically beyond this point
- Focus on quality over quantity
## Common Over-Testing Anti-Patterns
### Anti-Pattern 1: "Every if/else needs a test"
**Bad:**
```javascript
// Function with 10 if/else branches
function processOrder(order) {
if (!order) return null; // Test 1
if (!order.items) return null; // Test 2
if (order.items.length === 0) return null; // Test 3
// ... 7 more conditionals
}
```
**Problem:** 10 unit tests for trivial validation logic already covered by E2E test that calls `processOrder()`.
**Good:**
- 1 E2E test: User submits valid order → success
- 1 E2E test: User submits invalid order → error message
- 1 Unit test: Complex tax calculation inside `processOrder()` (if exists)
**Total: 3 tests instead of 12**
### Anti-Pattern 2: "Testing framework code"
**Bad:**
```javascript
// Testing Express middleware
test('CORS middleware sets headers', () => {
// Testing Express, not OUR code
});
// Testing React hook
test('useState updates component', () => {
// Testing React, not OUR code
});
```
**Good:**
- Trust framework tests (Express/React have thousands of tests)
- Test OUR business logic that USES framework
### Anti-Pattern 3: "Duplicating E2E coverage with Unit tests"
**Bad:**
```javascript
// E2E already tests: POST /api/orders → creates order in DB
test('E2E: User can create order', ...); // E2E
test('Unit: createOrder() inserts to database', ...); // Duplicate!
test('Unit: createOrder() returns order object', ...); // Duplicate!
```
**Good:**
```javascript
// E2E tests full flow
test('E2E: User can create order', ...);
// Unit tests ONLY complex calculation NOT fully exercised by E2E
test('Unit: Bulk discount applied when quantity > 100', ...);
```
### Anti-Pattern 4: "Aiming for 80% coverage"
**Bad mindset:**
- "We have 75% coverage, need 5 more tests to hit 80%"
- Writes tests for trivial getters/setters to inflate coverage
**Good mindset:**
- "Payment flow is critical (Priority 25) but only has 1 E2E test"
- "We have 60% coverage but all critical paths tested - DONE"
### Anti-Pattern 5: "Testing framework integration"
**Bad:**
```javascript
// Testing Express framework behavior
test('Express middleware chain works', () => {
// Testing Express.js, not OUR code
});
// Testing Prisma client behavior
test('Prisma findMany returns array', () => {
// Testing Prisma, not OUR code
});
// Testing React hook behavior
test('useState triggers rerender', () => {
// Testing React, not OUR code
});
```
**Why bad:** Frameworks have thousands of tests. Trust the framework, test OUR business logic that USES the framework.
**Good:**
```javascript
// Test OUR business logic that uses framework
test('E2E: User can create order', () => {
// Tests OUR endpoint logic (which happens to use Express + Prisma)
// But we're validating OUR business rules, not framework behavior
});
```
### Anti-Pattern 6: "Testing database query syntax"
**Bad:**
```javascript
// Testing database query execution
test('findByEmail() returns user from database', () => {
await prisma.user.findUnique({ where: { email: 'test@example.com' }});
// Testing Prisma query builder, not OUR logic
});
// Testing SQL JOIN behavior
test('getUserWithOrders() joins tables correctly', () => {
// Testing PostgreSQL JOIN semantics, not OUR logic
});
```
**Why bad:** Database engines have extensive test suites. We're testing PostgreSQL/MySQL, not our code.
**Good:**
```javascript
// E2E test already validates query works
test('E2E: User can view order history', () => {
// Implicitly validates that JOIN query works correctly
// We test the USER OUTCOME, not the database mechanism
});
// Unit test ONLY for complex query construction logic
test('buildSearchQuery() with multiple filters generates correct WHERE clause', () => {
// ONLY if we have complex query building logic with business rules
// NOT testing database execution, testing OUR query builder logic
});
```
### Anti-Pattern 7: "Testing library behavior"
**Bad:**
```javascript
// Testing bcrypt library
test('bcrypt hashes password correctly', () => {
const hash = await bcrypt.hash('password', 10);
const valid = await bcrypt.compare('password', hash);
expect(valid).toBe(true);
// Testing bcrypt library, not OUR code
});
// Testing jsonwebtoken library
test('JWT token is valid', () => {
const token = jwt.sign({ userId: 1 }, SECRET);
const decoded = jwt.verify(token, SECRET);
// Testing jsonwebtoken library, not OUR code
});
// Testing axios library
test('axios makes HTTP request', () => {
await axios.get('https://api.example.com');
// Testing axios library, not OUR code
});
```
**Why bad:** Libraries are already tested by their maintainers. We're duplicating their test suite.
**Good:**
```javascript
// E2E test validates full authentication flow
test('E2E: User can login and access protected endpoint', () => {
// Implicitly validates that bcrypt comparison works
// AND that JWT token generation/validation works
// But we test the USER FLOW, not library internals
});
// Unit test ONLY for custom password rules (OUR business logic)
test('validatePasswordStrength() requires 12+ chars with special symbols', () => {
// Testing OUR custom password policy, not bcrypt itself
});
```
## When to Break the Rules
### Scenario 1: Regulatory Compliance
**Financial/Healthcare applications:**
- May need >28 tests for audit trail
- Document WHY each test exists (regulation reference)
### Scenario 2: Bug-Prone Legacy Code
**If Story modifies legacy code with history of bugs:**
- Increase Unit test limit to 20
- Add characterization tests
### Scenario 3: Public API
**If Story creates API consumed by 3rd parties:**
- Increase Integration test limit to 12
- Test all error codes (400, 401, 403, 404, 429, 500)
### Scenario 4: Security-Critical Features
**Authentication, authorization, encryption:**
- All scenarios Priority ≥15
- May reach 28 test maximum legitimately
## Quick Reference
### Decision Flowchart (Minimum Viable Testing)
```
1. Start with 2 baseline E2E tests (positive + negative) - ALWAYS
2. For test #3 and beyond, calculate Risk Priority (Impact × Probability)
3. Priority ≥15?
NO (≤14) → SKIP (manual testing sufficient)
YES → Proceed to Step 4
4. Critical Justification Check (ALL must be YES):
❓ Tests OUR business logic? (not framework/library/database)
❓ Not already covered by 2 baseline E2E?
❓ Unique business value?
ANY NO? → SKIP
ALL YES? → Proceed to Step 5
5. Select Test Type:
- User flow? → E2E #3-5 (with justification)
- E2E doesn't cover interaction? → Integration 0-8 (with justification)
- Complex OUR algorithm? → Unit 0-15 (with justification)
6. Verify total ≤7 (realistic goal) or ≤28 (hard limit)
> 7 tests? → Auto-trim by Priority, keep 2 baseline E2E + top 5 Priority
```
### Red Flags (Stop and Reconsider)
**"I need to test every branch for coverage"** → Focus on business risk, not coverage
**"This E2E already tests it, but I'll add unit test anyway"** → Duplication
**"Need to test Express middleware behavior"** → Testing framework, not OUR code
**"Need to test Prisma query execution"** → Testing database/ORM, not OUR code
**"Need to test bcrypt hashing"** → Testing library, not OUR code
**"Story has 45 tests"** → Exceeds limit, prioritize and trim
**"Story has 15 tests but includes Prisma/bcrypt/Express tests"** → Testing framework/library, remove
**"Testing getter/setter"** → Trivial code, E2E covers it
**"Need more tests to hit 10 minimum"** → Minimum is 2, not 10!
### Green Lights (Good Test)
**"2 E2E tests: positive + negative for main endpoint"** → Baseline (ALWAYS)
**"Tax calculation with country-specific rules, Priority 25"** → Unit test (OUR complex logic)
**"User must complete checkout, Priority 20"** → E2E test (user value)
**"Story has 3 tests: 2 E2E + 1 Unit for OUR tax logic"** → Minimum viable!
**"Story has 5 tests, all test OUR business logic, all Priority ≥15"** → Justified and minimal
**"Skipped 8 scenarios - all were framework/library behavior"** → Good filtering!
## References
- Kent Beck, "Test Desiderata" (2018)
- Martin Fowler, "Practical Test Pyramid" (2018)
- Kent C. Dodds, "The Testing Trophy" (2020)
- Google Testing Blog, "Code Coverage Best Practices" (2020)
- Netflix Tech Blog, "Testing Strategy at Scale" (2021)
- Michael Feathers, "Working Effectively with Legacy Code" (2004)
- OWASP Testing Guide v4.2 (2023)
## Version History
| Version | Date | Changes |
|---------|------|---------|
| 1.0 | 2025-10-31 | Initial Risk-Based Testing framework to replace Test Pyramid (10-28 tests per Story) |
| 2.0.0 | 2025-11-11 | Minimum Viable Testing philosophy: Start with 2 E2E baseline, realistic goal 2-7 tests. Critical justification required for each test beyond baseline. New anti-patterns (5-7) for framework/library/database testing. Updated examples (Login 6→3, Search 7→2, Payment 13→5) |
**Version:** 2.0.0
**Last Updated:** 2025-11-11