testoriented

Testoriented, or test-oriented, is an adjective used to describe approaches, processes, or mindsets that place testing and verification at a central role in the design, development, or evaluation of a system or product. The term signals an emphasis on testability, measurable quality attributes, and validation activities throughout the life cycle rather than treating testing as a final or after-the-fact step.

In software engineering, a testoriented approach prioritizes creating tests and testability criteria early, selecting architectures and interfaces that facilitate testing, and integrating automated test execution into build and deployment pipelines. It is related to, but not identical with, test-driven development (TDD). TDD requires writing a failing test before implementing functionality, whereas test-oriented design can also encompass broader testing strategies such as property-based testing, acceptance testing, and continuous integration to ensure reliability. Some practitioners contrast test-oriented with feature-oriented approaches, which focus primarily on delivering user-visible capabilities.

Outside software, test-oriented can describe evaluation-centric methods in research, education, or manufacturing, where verification, assessment, or compliance criteria guide design choices and process improvements. Critics argue that excessive emphasis on testing can slow feature delivery or encourage metrics that do not fully capture user value if not balanced with product goals and qualitative insight.

See also: testing, software testing, testability, test-driven development, quality assurance, verification and validation.