Adhoc Testing - Definition, Types, Advantages, Disadvantages

Adhoc Testing

Definition :

• Adhoc testing is an informal testing type with an aim to break the system.
• This testing is usually an unplanned activity.
• It does not follow any test design techniques to create test cases. In fact is does not create test cases altogether!
• It is primarily performed if the knowledge of testers in the system under test is very high.
• Testers randomly test the application without any test cases or any business requirement document.
• Adhoc testing can be achieved with the testing technique called Error Guessing.
• Error guessing can be done by the people having enough experience on the system to “geuss” the most likely source of errors.

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Types of adhoc testing

1. Buddy Testing
2. Pair testing
3. Monkey Testing

Buddy Testing

Two buddies mutually work on identifying defects in the same module. Mostly one buddy will be from development team and another person will be from testing team. Buddy testing helps the testers develop better test cases and development team can also make design changes early. This testing usually happens after unit testing completion.

Pair testing

Two testers are assigned modules, share ideas and work on the same machines to find defects. One person can execute the tests and another person can take notes on the findings. Roles of the persons can be a tester and scriber during testing.

Buddy testing is combination of unit and system testing together with developers and testers but Pair testing is done only with the testers with different knowledge levels.(Experienced and non-experienced to share their ideas and views)

Monkey Testing

Randomly test the product or application without test cases with a goal to break the system

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Advantages of Adhoc Testing :

• Adhoc Testing saves lot of time as it doesn’t require elaborate test planning , documentation and test case design.
• It checks for the completeness of testing and find more defects then  planned testing.

Disadvantages of Adhoc Testing : 

• This testing requires no documentation/ planning /process to be followed. Since this testing aims at finding defects through random approach, without any documentation, defects will not be mapped to test cases. Hence, sometimes, it is very difficult to reproduce the defects as there are no test-steps or requirements mapped to it.