ComplianceTests

Compliancetests are procedures used to verify that a system, product, or process adheres to applicable laws, regulations, standards, and internal policies. They focus on regulatory and policy alignment rather than on pure functional behavior, and are often conducted alongside functional testing to provide evidence of risk management and governance.

They apply across many sectors, including financial services, healthcare, energy, and manufacturing. Common domains include data protection and privacy (GDPR, HIPAA), information security (ISO 27001, PCI DSS, NIST), accessibility (WCAG, ADA), and industry-specific safety standards (NERC CIP for power, IEC 62304 for medical devices). Tests may assess data handling, consent mechanisms, auditing and logging, access controls, encryption, incident response, and reporting requirements. Compliance criteria may be external mandates or internal governance policies.

The process typically starts with identifying applicable requirements and mapping them to test cases or evaluation criteria. Test design translates regulatory text into verifiable checks, which may be performed via manual reviews, automated scans, code or configuration reviews, and evidence collection. Results are documented, gaps are remediated, and re-testing performed. In regulated domains, a formal assessment or certification from an authorized body may be required.

Outcomes include pass/fail determinations, non-conformances, and remediation plans, along with audit artifacts such as test evidence, logging, and policy definitions. Key challenges include keeping up with evolving regulations, achieving sufficient coverage, cost, and ensuring that tests reflect real-world usage. Tools range from policy-management and requirements-traceability systems to automated scanners, test harnesses, and security or privacy assessment platforms.