---
name: context-driven-testing
description: "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."
category: testing-methodologies
priority: high
tokenEstimate: 1100
agents: [qe-fleet-commander, qe-regression-risk-analyzer, qe-requirements-validator, qe-quality-analyzer]
implementation_status: optimized
optimization_version: 1.0
last_optimized: 2025-12-02
dependencies: []
quick_reference_card: true
tags: [context-driven, rst, exploratory, heuristics, oracles, skilled-testing]
trust_tier: 0
validation:
---

# Context-Driven Testing

<default_to_action>
When making testing decisions or adapting approaches:
1. ANALYZE context: project goals, constraints, risks, team skills
2. QUESTION practices: "Why this? What risk does it address? What's the cost?"
3. INVESTIGATE not just check: Does software solve the problem, or create new ones?
4. ADAPT approach based on context, not "best practices"
5. DOCUMENT discoveries, not pre-written plans

**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
</default_to_action>

## 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

```typescript
// 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
```typescript
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

1. **Start with risk assessment** - List features, ask: How likely to fail? How bad? How hard to test?
2. **Time-box exploration** - 2 hours checkout, 30 min error handling, 15 min per browser
3. **Document discoveries** - Not "Enter invalid email, verify error" but "Payment API returns 500 instead of 400, no user-visible error. Bug filed."
4. **Talk to humans** - Developers, users, support, product
5. **Pair with others** - Different perspectives = different bugs

---

## Related Skills
- [agentic-quality-engineering](../agentic-quality-engineering/) - Context-aware agent selection
- [holistic-testing-pact](../holistic-testing-pact/) - Adapt holistic model to context
- [risk-based-testing](../risk-based-testing/) - Context affects risk assessment
- [exploratory-testing-advanced](../exploratory-testing-advanced/) - RST techniques

---

## 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.