BMAD-METHOD/bmad-core/data/test-priorities-matrix.md

Test Priorities Matrix

Guide for prioritizing test scenarios based on risk, criticality, and business impact.

Priority Levels

P0 - Critical (Must Test)

Criteria:

• Revenue-impacting functionality
• Security-critical paths
• Data integrity operations
• Regulatory compliance requirements
• Previously broken functionality (regression prevention)

Examples:

• Payment processing
• Authentication/authorization
• User data creation/deletion
• Financial calculations
• GDPR/privacy compliance

Testing Requirements:

• Comprehensive coverage at all levels
• Both happy and unhappy paths
• Edge cases and error scenarios
• Performance under load

P1 - High (Should Test)

Criteria:

• Core user journeys
• Frequently used features
• Features with complex logic
• Integration points between systems
• Features affecting user experience

Examples:

• User registration flow
• Search functionality
• Data import/export
• Notification systems
• Dashboard displays

Testing Requirements:

• Primary happy paths required
• Key error scenarios
• Critical edge cases
• Basic performance validation

P2 - Medium (Nice to Test)

Criteria:

• Secondary features
• Admin functionality
• Reporting features
• Configuration options
• UI polish and aesthetics

Examples:

• Admin settings panels
• Report generation
• Theme customization
• Help documentation
• Analytics tracking

Testing Requirements:

• Happy path coverage
• Basic error handling
• Can defer edge cases

P3 - Low (Test if Time Permits)

Criteria:

• Rarely used features
• Nice-to-have functionality
• Cosmetic issues
• Non-critical optimizations

Examples:

• Advanced preferences
• Legacy feature support
• Experimental features
• Debug utilities

Testing Requirements:

• Smoke tests only
• Can rely on manual testing
• Document known limitations

Risk-Based Priority Adjustments

Increase Priority When:

• High user impact (affects >50% of users)
• High financial impact (>$10K potential loss)
• Security vulnerability potential
• Compliance/legal requirements
• Customer-reported issues
• Complex implementation (>500 LOC)
• Multiple system dependencies

Decrease Priority When:

• Feature flag protected
• Gradual rollout planned
• Strong monitoring in place
• Easy rollback capability
• Low usage metrics
• Simple implementation
• Well-isolated component

Test Coverage by Priority

Priority	Unit Coverage	Integration Coverage	E2E Coverage
P0	>90%	>80%	All critical paths
P1	>80%	>60%	Main happy paths
P2	>60%	>40%	Smoke tests
P3	Best effort	Best effort	Manual only

Priority Assignment Rules

1. Start with business impact - What happens if this fails?
2. Consider probability - How likely is failure?
3. Factor in detectability - Would we know if it failed?
4. Account for recoverability - Can we fix it quickly?

Priority Decision Tree

Is it revenue-critical?
├─ YES → P0
└─ NO → Does it affect core user journey?
    ├─ YES → Is it high-risk?
    │   ├─ YES → P0
    │   └─ NO → P1
    └─ NO → Is it frequently used?
        ├─ YES → P1
        └─ NO → Is it customer-facing?
            ├─ YES → P2
            └─ NO → P3

Test Execution Order

1. Execute P0 tests first (fail fast on critical issues)
2. Execute P1 tests second (core functionality)
3. Execute P2 tests if time permits
4. P3 tests only in full regression cycles

Continuous Adjustment

Review and adjust priorities based on:

• Production incident patterns
• User feedback and complaints
• Usage analytics
• Test failure history
• Business priority changes