testvariant

Testvariant is a term used informally in software testing to refer to a variant of a test, such as a different input, condition, or environment used to exercise the same test objective. It is not a formal standard term, but practitioners may encounter it when discussing test design, test data sets, or test case repositories. A testvariant helps explore how a system behaves under altered conditions without writing an entirely new test from scratch.

Variants are typically categorized by what changes: input variants alter the data supplied to the software (for example, boundary values, nulls, empty strings, or unusual formats); environment variants change factors such as operating system, browser version, network conditions, or hardware; and data variants adjust contextual factors like user roles, localization, or configuration settings. In some approaches, similar variants are combined through combinatorial testing to limit the total number of tests while still achieving broad coverage.

Creating useful testvariants starts from a test objective and a set of equivalence partitions or boundary values. Each variant should have a clear purpose, an expected outcome, and a traceable link to requirements. Effective management includes documenting the variant’s inputs, conditions, and intended result, along with its status in the test suite.

Benefits of using testvariants include broader coverage of boundary and edge cases and the ability to validate behavior across environments. Drawbacks include increased maintenance, potential duplication, and the need for careful version control and traceability.

See also: boundary value analysis, equivalence partitioning, combinatorial testing, test data management, test case design.