“We wanted to turn down a feature, so we needed to alert affected users. Again we had unit and integration tests, and even one expensive end-to-end test.”
Standard practice. Wasted effort.
The alert was so critical it actually needed end-to-end coverage for all scenarios. But it would be live for only three releases. The cheapest effective test? Manual testing before each release.
A Better Approach: Risks First
For every project or feature, think about testing. Brainstorm your key risks and your best options to reduce them. Do this at the start so you don't waste effort and can adapt your design. Write them down as a QA design so you can point to it in reviews and discussions.
To be sure, standard practice remains a good idea in most cases (hence it’s standard). Small tests are cheap and speed up coding and maintenance, and larger tests safeguard core use-cases and integration.
Just remember: Your tests are a means. The bang is what counts. It’s your job to maximize it.
