ActiveDraftQuality

Risk-Based Testing

Focusing testing effort where the risk to users and the business is highest.

StatusActive

MaturityDraft

DifficultyAdvanced

Versionv0.1.0

Reading Time5 min

Last Updated2026-07-01

#risk#testing#prioritisation

Overview

Risk-based testing ranks areas by the likelihood and impact of failure, then spends testing effort proportionally. Critical paths — authentication, payments, data processing — get the deepest coverage; low-risk cosmetic changes get proportionally less.

Why This Exists

Testing time is finite. Spreading it evenly wastes it on low-risk areas while under-testing the ones that can actually hurt users or the business. Ranking by risk puts effort where failure costs the most, and makes residual risk an explicit, communicated decision.