Update testing types rule (#6149)

* rephrased first paragraph * added link to the automation rule * Update rules/different-types-of-testing/rule.md Co-authored-by: William Liebenberg <[email protected]> * Update rules/different-types-of-testing/rule.md Co-authored-by: William Liebenberg <[email protected]> --------- Co-authored-by: William Liebenberg <[email protected]>
SSWConsulting · Jul 25, 2023 · ce3e85c · ce3e85c
1 parent e14371c
commit ce3e85c
Showing 1 changed file with 12 additions and 3 deletions.
diff --git a/rules/different-types-of-testing/rule.md b/rules/different-types-of-testing/rule.md
@@ -26,11 +26,20 @@ A good test strategy employs a combination of different types of testing, perfor
 
 Credit: Keith Edkins, "Too much choice!", license: CC BY-SA 2.0
 
-## 8 Types of Testing
+## Goals of Testing
+The testing pyramid shows the *types* of tests you will typically use in the Software Development Lifecycle, but it's important to understand how **testing types** differ from **testing goals**.
 
-The following list of types of testing is not exhaustive, but covers the more common types you should consider when building a comprehensive test strategy:
+The goal of any test is to identify and mitigate risk.
 
-| Testing type | Perform this type of testing to mitigate the risk of...  |
+Different testing types are better suited to different testing goals. For instance, if your goal is to test whether a **method** you wrote achieves what you intended, the best type of test will probably be a **unit test**. Alternatively, if your goal is to test that 2 or more **applications** or **services** play well with one another, then an **integration test** would be more appropriate.
+
+What if the goal is to test an entire **user journey**, to ensure a user can add an item to their shopping cart and complete the checkout process to make a purchase? **End-to-end tests!**
+
+Note: none of these test types, or test goals, have been described as manual or automated. This distinction describes the "how" of the test. *How* should you perform an end-to-end test of your purchasing journey? That's a business decision, and you should check out our rule on [deciding whether a test is a good candidate for automation.](https://ssw.com.au/rules/good-candidate-for-automation/)
+
+The following list of testing types and their goals is not exhaustive, but covers the more common scenarios you should consider when building a comprehensive test strategy:
+
+| Testing type | The goal of mitigating risk around...  |
 | :------------- | :--------------------------------------------- |
 | [Smoke testing](#smoke-testing) | Basic and critical functionality failing to work as expected  |
 | [Unit testing](#unit-testing) | Code changes |