Testdauer

Testdauer, or test duration, denotes the total length of time allocated to carry out a test from start to finish, including setup, execution, analysis, and reporting. It is a planning parameter used to estimate resources, scheduling, and risk in testing projects. The duration depends on the test scope, the number and complexity of test cases, the execution time of individual tests, the time required for environment preparation, data handling, and any necessary retries or waiting periods for dependencies.

In software testing, testdauer helps determine staffing, automation needs, and release timelines. Shorter durations favor iterative development and rapid feedback, while longer durations may be necessary for extensive regression suites, integration tests, or performance assessments. Automation can reduce practical duration for repetitive tests, though initial development and maintenance take time. Testdauer is often constrained by project deadlines and release trains, making trade-offs between breadth of coverage and depth of testing.

In hardware, embedded, or materials testing, testdauer varies widely with the test type. Fatigue or endurance tests may run for hours, days, or weeks, while environmental or reliability tests can extend to months. Some tests are designed to continue until a predefined endpoint or failure, making the duration inherently outcome-dependent.

In clinical or biomedical contexts, the term may refer to the overall study duration, from enrollment to final assessment, or the time required to obtain a diagnostic result. In all contexts, documenting the expected testdauer in plans and reports supports scheduling, budgeting, and interpretation of results.

See also: test plan, test case, test execution, validation, verification.