Specificatietests

Specificatietests, or specification tests, are tests designed to verify that a system, component, or product complies with its formal specifications or requirements. They are used to confirm that the described behavior, interfaces, data formats, and constraints are implemented correctly, and to identify any deviations from the documented criteria. The focus is on conformance to agreed-upon specifications rather than on user needs alone.

Test design for specificatietests begins with a careful review of the requirements, design documents, and use cases. Test cases are created to exercise functional requirements, as well as non-functional aspects such as performance, reliability, security, and usability when these are specified. Each test case includes a clear description, input values, expected output, and explicit pass/fail criteria. To ensure comprehensive coverage, test cases are traceable to specific requirements, often maintained in a traceability matrix.

The testing process typically involves manual or automated execution of the test cases, recording results, and reporting any deviations as defects. When a failure occurs, investigators compare actual results with the specification to determine whether the issue is in the implementation or in the specification itself. Successful specificatietests provide evidence that the product meets its documented criteria and can form part of regulatory or standards compliance workflows.

Typical challenges include ambiguous or changing specifications, incomplete requirements, and the need to maintain test cases as specifications evolve. Special care is taken to maintain traceability and to distinguish specification conformance from user acceptance testing, which focuses on fitness for user needs. Specificatietests are commonly used in software engineering, systems engineering, and product development to support verification and quality assurance.