Fundamentals of Testing

During test execution, test suites are run in accordance with the test execution schedule. As a part of this phase, different levels of testing like unit, integration, system, non-functional, etc., are performed. 

Major Activities of Test Execution

Test execution includes the following major activities:

• Executing test cases according to planned sequence, either manually or by test execution tools.
• Comparing actual results with expected results.
• Logging the outcome of test execution (e.g., No of the pass, fail, blocked test cases).
• Reporting defects based on the failures observed.
• Recording the IDs and versions of the test item(s) or test object, test tool(s), and testware.
• Determining if additional test cases are required as a result of monitoring. 
• Analyzing anomalies to establish their likely causes. For example, failures may occur due to defects in the code, but false positives also may occur. False positives may occur due to errors in the way tests were executed or due to defects in the test data, the test environment, or other testware.
• Repeating test activities either as a result of action taken for an anomaly or as part of the planned testing. For example, execution of a corrected test, confirmation testing, or regression testing.
• Verifying and updating bi-directional traceability between the test basis, test conditions, test cases, test procedures, and test results.