CTAL-TM practice question 12 of 30

You have done a comprehensive risk analysis. You have involved the appropriate people in assessing the risks and determining the likelihood and…

You have done a comprehensive risk analysis. You have involved the appropriate people in assessing the risks and determining the likelihood and impact of those risks. You have been testing for three months and have been able to mitigate 75% of the high risk items. You have two weeks left in testing and you now do not expect to be able to complete all the items on the high-risk mitigation list, never mind any from the medium or low-risk lists. What is the most effective action you should take? [3]

Answer options

A: Use a random selection algorithm to pick tests from the high, medium, and low risk mitigation lists - thereby ensuring that each risk list has some mitigation.

B: Present your risk mitigation progress and project status to the project's stakeholders, and request additional time or assistance in re-prioritizing the remaining high-risk items. Correct answer

C: Concentrate testing in areas that have already found numerous problems.

D: Retest the highest risk areas to ensure no regressions have occurred.

Correct Answer:

B. Present your risk mitigation progress and project status to the project's stakeholders, and request additional time or assistance in re-prioritizing the remaining high-risk items.

Explanation

According to ISTQB test control principles, when a project deviates significantly from the test plan and critical risks cannot be mitigated within the remaining schedule, the Test Manager must communicate this status to stakeholders. Presenting the residual risk allows stakeholders to make informed business decisions. They hold the authority to adjust project constraints, such as extending the schedule, adding resources, or re-prioritizing the remaining test execution based on shifting business needs.

Why Incorrect

A. Random selection ignores risk priorities, defeating the entire purpose of a risk-based testing strategy.
C. Focusing only on known defect areas leaves other high-risk areas completely untested, resulting in unknown residual risks.
D. Retesting already mitigated areas while ignoring untested high-risk items is an inefficient use of limited time and fails to reduce overall risk.

References

1. ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level Syllabus - Test Manager (v2012), Section 2.5 "Test Control", pp. 27-28.

2. ISTQB Certified Tester Advanced Level Syllabus - Test Manager (v2012), Section 5.5 "Risk Mitigation", p. 51.

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