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I’ve been training people in test design techniques for over 25 years. Techniques like boundary value analysis, decision tables, and pairwise testing are fundamental in the quality engineer’s toolbox. And yet… in real-world projects, they are still surprisingly underused.
Why is that?
From countless conversations with engineers, trainers, and team leads, I see a pattern. Many quality engineers and testers are never truly encouraged by their environment to use structured test design. Even if they learned about it during a course, they rarely take the chance to practice it enough to become confident and proficient. And so, it remains theory instead of becoming second nature.
How to break that pattern:
🔍 Understand the reasons behind non-use
The first step is to acknowledge the barriers. Engineers often work in high-pressure environments where only doing exploratory testing feels faster. Or they simply don’t see others using techniques, so they don’t consider them a normal part of the job.
🏢 Look at the context
Agile and DevOps teams move fast, and the emphasis is often on delivery speed. Test design techniques aren’t always reflected in the process or supported by tooling, so they fade into the background.
🎓 Design better learning interventions
Traditional training isn’t enough. Short, focused exercises in the context of the team’s own product work much better. Add gamification or real-life challenges to keep it engaging.
🤝 Lead by example
People learn by observing others. If senior engineers use test design techniques visibly, and if there’s coaching during backlog refinement or sprint planning, adoption follows naturally.
🔁 Embed it in the process
Make test design a normal part of refinement and require it in the Definition of Done. If it’s part of the workflow, it becomes part of the habit.
The bottom line?
Structured testing deserves a firm place in our daily quality engineering work. But it won’t happen by accident. It takes conscious effort to foster the right culture, provide space to practice, and build test design into the heartbeat of the delivery process.
Let’s make that effort — and help quality engineers move from knowing to doing.
For more information go to the Test Design page of the TMAP body of knowledge:
https://www.tmap.net/building-blocks/test-approaches
transparency note: this post was written in co-creation with ChatGPT