What Is Risk-Based Testing (RBT)?

Risks are the fears that keep us up at night. They're the thoughts that pop into our heads when we're trying to sleep, and it's hard not to think about them. In software development, they can be just as scary. Think about it: you're working on a new project, and it's going well until suddenly, one day, a bug in your code causes something terrible. You fix it before anyone notices, but now you're worried about what would have happened if the bug had gone unnoticed for longer. Risk-based testing (RBT) is so essential for software development teams today. RBT is a test performed for projects depending on the risks and the things that could go wrong and then using those risks to prioritize and highlight the right tests at the time of test execution. When you think about it, software testing is much like the fashion world. You know how sometimes you see a piece that's so on-trend and so perfectly executed that you can't help but want to run home and get your credit card? then there are those other times when you see something in the store and think, "Meh", that's like the difference between risk-based testing and non-risk-based testing. Risk-based testing is like trying on that perfect new skirt or blazer: it's fun, makes you feel good, and everyone applauds when they see it. Non-risk-based testing is like wearing your old favorite jeans comfortable but not exciting. It's a good thing that risk-based testing is done on a project at the very early stages. After all, it's easier to keep track of all the risks involved in a project once you've already gotten far into planning and execution. Even if you knew about them, you'd probably need to figure out how to fix them! but by doing this early in the process, we can identify these risks and plan for them before they become an issue for our project and other future projects.