Structured investigation.
WHAT IT IS
Designing and executing tests simultaneously, letting findings guide the next step.
WHAT IT IS NOT
Unstructured clicking.
WHAT GIVES IT STRUCTURE
A charter: what area, what risk, what is being explored.
WHAT A SESSION INVOLVES
A defined time period A charter Notes recorded as you go A debrief
WHAT TO RECORD
What was explored What was found What questions arose What was not covered
WHY RECORDING MATTERS
It makes the work visible and repeatable.
WHAT HEURISTICS HELP
Trying boundaries Interrupting operations Using the application in an unintended order Providing unexpected input Going back and forward Doing two things at once
WHAT TOURS ARE
Exploring with a specific lens: following the money, testing every error path, examining every setting.
WHY THEY HELP
They provide focus without scripting.
WHAT EXPLORATORY TESTING FINDS
Defects nobody anticipated, which is precisely what scripts cannot.
WHO SHOULD DO IT
Anyone, but skilled testers find substantially more.
WHAT SKILL CONSISTS OF
Knowing where defects hide, and noticing what seems slightly wrong.
