personAuthor: Process Fellows
Test Management ensures that testing activities are strategically planned, monitored, and evaluated across all development phases. From unit tests to system-level integration, this cross-cutting discipline defines methods, tools, documents, and roles to ensure traceable and efficient verification and validation.
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PF_Testmanagement_Extract.pdf Short Overview of Test Management (related to all Automotive SPICE® verification processes)
# PROCESS PURPOSE
The purpose is to ensure that the complete (Hardware = Assembled and interconnected electrical or electronic hardware components or parts which perform analog or digital functions or operations.) is verified to be consistent with the (Hardware = Assembled and interconnected electrical or electronic hardware components or parts which perform analog or digital functions or operations.) requirements.
# PROCESS OUTCOMES
O1 (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.) are specified for (Verification = Verification is confirmation through the provision of objective evidence that an element fulfils the specified requirements.) of the (Hardware = Assembled and interconnected electrical or electronic hardware components or parts which perform analog or digital functions or operations.) against the (Hardware = Assembled and interconnected electrical or electronic hardware components or parts which perform analog or digital functions or operations.) requirements.
O2 (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.) are selected considering criteria, including criteria for (Regression verification = Selective re-verification of elements to verify that modifications have not caused unintended effects.).
O3 (Verification = Verification is confirmation through the provision of objective evidence that an element fulfils the specified requirements.) is performed, if applicable on production data compliant samples, using the selected (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.), and (Verification = Verification is confirmation through the provision of objective evidence that an element fulfils the specified requirements.) results are recorded.
O4
Consistency and bidirectional traceability are established between (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.) and (Hardware = Assembled and interconnected electrical or electronic hardware components or parts which perform analog or digital functions or operations.) requirements.
O5
Bidirectional traceability is established between (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.) and (Verification = Verification is confirmation through the provision of objective evidence that an element fulfils the specified requirements.) results.
O6 (Verification = Verification is confirmation through the provision of objective evidence that an element fulfils the specified requirements.) results are summarized and communicated to all affected parties.
# BASE PRACTICES
BP1
Specify verification measures for the verification against hardware requirements. (
O1 )
Specify the (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.) to provide evidence for compliance with the (Hardware = Assembled and interconnected electrical or electronic hardware components or parts which perform analog or digital functions or operations.) requirements. This includes
techniques for the (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.),
pass/fail criteria for the (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.),
a definition of entry and exit criteria for the (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.),
necessary sequence of (Verification = Verification is confirmation through the provision of objective evidence that an element fulfils the specified requirements.) the (Measure = An activity to achieve a certain intent.), and
the required (Verification = Verification is confirmation through the provision of objective evidence that an element fulfils the specified requirements.) infrastructure and environment setup
Note 1: The (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.) may cover aspects such as thermal, environmental, robustness/lifetime, and EMC.
BP2
Ensure use of compliant samples. (
O3 )
Ensure that the samples used for the (Verification = Verification is confirmation through the provision of objective evidence that an element fulfils the specified requirements.) against (Hardware = Assembled and interconnected electrical or electronic hardware components or parts which perform analog or digital functions or operations.) requirements are compliant with the corresponding production data, including special characteristics, provided by (Hardware = Assembled and interconnected electrical or electronic hardware components or parts which perform analog or digital functions or operations.) design. Note 2: Examples of compliance are sample reports, record of visual inspection, ICT report.
BP3
Select verification measures. (
O2 )
Document the selection of (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.) considering selection criteria including regression criteria. The documented selection of (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.) shall have sufficient coverage according to the (Release = A physical product delivered to a customer, including a defined set of functionalities and properties.) scope. Note 3: Examples for selection criteria can be prioritization of requirements, the need for regression due to changes to the (Hardware = Assembled and interconnected electrical or electronic hardware components or parts which perform analog or digital functions or operations.) requirements, or the intended use of the delivered (Hardware = Assembled and interconnected electrical or electronic hardware components or parts which perform analog or digital functions or operations.) (Release = A physical product delivered to a customer, including a defined set of functionalities and properties.) (e.g, test bench, test track, public road etc.).
BP4
Verify the compliant hardware samples. (
O3 )
Verify the compliant (Hardware = Assembled and interconnected electrical or electronic hardware components or parts which perform analog or digital functions or operations.) samples using the selected (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.). Record the (Verification = Verification is confirmation through the provision of objective evidence that an element fulfils the specified requirements.) results including pass/fail status and corresponding (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.) output data. Note 4: See SUP.9 for handling of non-conformances.
Ensure consistency between (Hardware = Assembled and interconnected electrical or electronic hardware components or parts which perform analog or digital functions or operations.) requirements and (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.). Establish bidirectional traceability between (Hardware = Assembled and interconnected electrical or electronic hardware components or parts which perform analog or digital functions or operations.) requirements and (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.). Establish bidirectional traceability between (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.) and (Verification = Verification is confirmation through the provision of objective evidence that an element fulfils the specified requirements.) results. Note 5: Bidirectional traceability supports consistency, and facilitates impact analysis of change requests, and demonstration of (Verification = Verification is confirmation through the provision of objective evidence that an element fulfils the specified requirements.) coverage. Traceability alone, e.g., the existence of links, does not necessarily mean that the information is consistent with each other.
Linked Knowledge Nuggets: arrow_forward "Consistency vs. Traceability – What’s the Difference?"
personAuthor: Process Fellows
Consistency ensures that related content doesn’t contradict itself – e.g., requirements align with architecture and test. Traceability, in contrast, is about links: can you follow a requirement through to implementation and verification? Both are needed – consistency builds trust, traceability enables control. Typically, traceability strongly supports consistency review.
arrow_forward "The role of traceability in risk control"
personAuthor: Process Fellows
Traceability isn’t just about completeness — it’s about managing impact. When a requirement changes, trace links tell you what’s affected. That’s your early-warning system.
arrow_forward "The true benefit of traceability
"
personAuthor: Process Fellows
Sometimes the creation of traceability is seen as an additional expense, the benefits are not recognized.
Traceability should be set up at the same time as the derived elements are created. Both work products are open in front of us and the creation of the trace often only takes a few moments.
In the aftermath, the effort increases noticeably and the risk of gaps is high.
If the traceability is complete and consistent, the discovery of dependencies is unbeatably fast and reliable compared to searching for dependencies at a later stage, when there may also be time pressure.
It also enables proof of complete coverage of the derived elements and allows the complete consistency check.
BP6
Summarize and communicate results. (
O6 )
Summarize the (Verification = Verification is confirmation through the provision of objective evidence that an element fulfils the specified requirements.) results and communicate them to all affected parties. Note 6: Providing all necessary information from the test case execution in a summary enables other parties to judge the consequences.
# OUTPUT INFORMATION ITEMS
13-52
Communication evidence (
O6 )
All forms of interpersonal communication such as
e-mails, also automatically generated ones
tool-supported workflows
meeting, verbally or via meeting minutes (e.g., daily standups)
podcast
blog
videos
forum
live chat
wikis
photo protocol
Used by these processes:
ACQ.4 Supplier Monitoring
HWE.1 Hardware Requirements Analysis
HWE.2 Hardware Design
HWE.3 Verification against Hardware Design
HWE.4 Verification against Hardware Requirements
MAN.3 Project Management
MLE.1 Machine Learning Requirements Analysis
MLE.2 Machine Learning Architecture
MLE.3 Machine Learning Training
MLE.4 Machine Learning Model Testing
PIM.3 Process Improvement
REU.2 Management of Products for Reuse
SUP.1 Quality Assurance
SUP.11 Machine Learning Data Management
SWE.1 Software Requirements Analysis
SWE.2 Software Architectural Design
SWE.3 Software Detailed Design and Unit Construction
SWE.4 Software Unit Verification
SWE.5 Software Component Verification and Integration Verification
SWE.6 Software Verification
SYS.1 Requirements Elicitation
SYS.2 System Requirements Analysis
SYS.3 System Architectural Design
SYS.4 System Integration and Integration Verification
SYS.5 System Verification
VAL.1 Validation
Used by these process attributes:
PA2.1 Performance Management
13-51
Consistency Evidence (
O4, O5 )
Demonstrates bidirectional traceability between artifacts or information in artifacts, throughout all phases of the life cycle, by e.g.,
tool links
hyperlinks
editorial references
naming conventions
Evidence that the content of the referenced or mapped information coheres semantically along the traceability chain, e.g., by
performing pair working or group work
performing by peers, e.g., spot checks
maintaining revision histories in documents
providing change commenting (via e.g., meta-information) of database or repository entries
Note: This evidence can be accompanied by e.g., Definition of Done (DoD) approaches.
Used by these processes:
HWE.1 Hardware Requirements Analysis
HWE.2 Hardware Design
HWE.3 Verification against Hardware Design
HWE.4 Verification against Hardware Requirements
MAN.3 Project Management
MLE.1 Machine Learning Requirements Analysis
MLE.2 Machine Learning Architecture
MLE.3 Machine Learning Training
MLE.4 Machine Learning Model Testing
SUP.8 Configuration Management
SUP.10 Change Request Management
SWE.1 Software Requirements Analysis
SWE.2 Software Architectural Design
SWE.3 Software Detailed Design and Unit Construction
SWE.4 Software Unit Verification
SWE.5 Software Component Verification and Integration Verification
SWE.6 Software Verification
SYS.2 System Requirements Analysis
SYS.3 System Architectural Design
SYS.4 System Integration and Integration Verification
SYS.5 System Verification
VAL.1 Validation
08-60
Verification Measure (
O1 )
A (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.) can be a test case, a (Measurement = “The activity to find the size, quantity or degree of something”.), a calculation, a simulation, a review, an optical inspection, or an analysis
The specification of a (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.) includes
pass/fail criteria for (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.) (test completion and ending criteria)
a definition of entry and exit criteria for the (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.), and abort and re-start criteria
Techniques (e.g., black-box and/or white-box-testing, equivalence classes and boundary values, fault injection for Functional Safety, penetration testing for Cybersecurity, back-to- back testing for model-based development, ICT)
Necessary (Verification = Verification is confirmation through the provision of objective evidence that an element fulfils the specified requirements.) environment and infrastructure
Necessary sequence or ordering
Used by these processes:
HWE.3 Verification against Hardware Design
HWE.4 Verification against Hardware Requirements
SWE.4 Software Unit Verification
SWE.5 Software Component Verification and Integration Verification
SWE.6 Software Verification
SYS.4 System Integration and Integration Verification
SYS.5 System Verification
03-50
Verification Measure Data (
O3 )
(Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.) data are data recorded during the execution of a (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.), e.g.:
for test cases: raw data, logs, traces, tool generated outputs
(Measurement = “The activity to find the size, quantity or degree of something”.): values
calculations: values
simulations: protocol
reviews such as optical inspections à findings record
analyses: values
Used by these processes:
HWE.3 Verification against Hardware Design
HWE.4 Verification against Hardware Requirements
SWE.4 Software Unit Verification
SWE.5 Software Component Verification and Integration Verification
SWE.6 Software Verification
SYS.4 System Integration and Integration Verification
SYS.5 System Verification
08-58
Verification Measure Selection Set (
O2 )
Include criteria for re- (Verification = Verification is confirmation through the provision of objective evidence that an element fulfils the specified requirements.) in the case of changes (regression).
Identification of (Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.), also for regression testing
Used by these processes:
HWE.3 Verification against Hardware Design
HWE.4 Verification against Hardware Requirements
SWE.4 Software Unit Verification
SWE.5 Software Component Verification and Integration Verification
SWE.6 Software Verification
SYS.4 System Integration and Integration Verification
SYS.5 System Verification
15-52
Verification Results (
O3 )
(Verification = Verification is confirmation through the provision of objective evidence that an element fulfils the specified requirements.) data and logs
(Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.) passed
(Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.) not passed
(Verification measure = Verification measure can be:
Test cases
Measurements
Calculations
Simulations
Reviews
Analyses
Note, that in particular domains certain verification measures may not be applicable, e.g., software units generally cannot be verified by means of calculations or analyses.) not executed
information about the test execution (date, tester name etc.)
Abstraction or summary of (Verification = Verification is confirmation through the provision of objective evidence that an element fulfils the specified requirements.) results
Used by these processes:
HWE.3 Verification against Hardware Design
HWE.4 Verification against Hardware Requirements
SWE.4 Software Unit Verification
SWE.5 Software Component Verification and Integration Verification
SWE.6 Software Verification
SYS.4 System Integration and Integration Verification