Perform Exploratory Testing

There's a plethora of content on Exploratory Testing (ET), aka ad hoc testing. This page aims to summarize the main points of ET and provide short, practical, actionable tips on how to do ET well.

ET in a Nutshell

• ET is NOT unqualified or random testing (poke around and see what happens)

• "Exploratory testing is simultaneous learning, test design, and test execution"¹

• The ultimate goal in ET is to discover information of interest and value to stakeholders²

• Test Automation (TA) is NOT a replacement for ET. These two practices are complementary. Additionally, ET helps discover interesting scenarios that may be later automated. What is the value of an automated test suite if it's exclusively made out of simple, superficial checks and no one did a deep dive into the software?

Performing ET

ET can easily become aimless without structure. To keep focus and produce useful results, use Session-Based Test Management (SBTM) with Charters.

1

Timebox

Divide your work into uninterrupted sessions of 60–120 minutes. Can be shorter or longer depending on context.

2

Define Your Aim

Decide what you want to learn or investigate. This could come from:

• Requirements or specifications

• Conversations with stakeholders

• Your own experience or intuition

• A point from SFDIPOT

3

Create a Charter

Create a charter based on Step 2. A charter provides direction without prescribing exact steps.

Template (from Explore It!²):

Explore {target} with {resources} to discover {information}

• Target: feature, module, requirement

• Resources: tools, datasets, techniques

• Information: performance issues, usability risks, security concerns, standard violations, etc.

✅ Good Charters

1. Explore the “New User” registration form with accessibility tools to discover usability and compliance issues.

2. Explore the checkout workflow with various payment methods to discover integration errors or confusing flows.

❌ Poor Charters

1. Test name/surname text inputs with invalid values (too narrow).

2. Try to find security holes (too broad).

4

Execute the Session

Stay focused on the charter target. Take notes: test ideas, risks, surprises, bugs, and questions for later.

5

Debrief and Report

Here's a basic template:

Field	Description
Charter	The mission for this session (what you set out to explore)
Tester	Who performed the session
Start/End Time	[...]
Resources Used	Tools, data sets, techniques applied
Bugs Found	List of defects discovered
Open Questions	Issues or uncertainties needing clarification or follow-up
Notes	Observations, surprises, risks, additional ideas

References

¹ "Exploratory Testing Explained", Paper, James Bach

² Explore It!, Book, Elisabeth Hendrickson