Requirements to Risk-Based Test Design

Lesson 4 · Test what matters first

© 2026 Jared Cluff · Labalicious · Lesson 4

Today’s outcome

  • Turn a story into observable acceptance criteria
  • Identify state, boundary, role, and failure cases
  • Rank test work by harm and risk
  • Use AI for ideas, not final priorities
© 2026 Jared Cluff · Labalicious · Lesson 4

Vague request

“A concierge can reserve an allocation after confirming a deposit, and the customer receives an update.”

What could go wrong?

© 2026 Jared Cluff · Labalicious · Lesson 4

Observable acceptance criteria

Good: “A permitted concierge sees one confirmed allocation after a successful synthetic deposit, and an opted-in customer has one queued update.”

Not enough: “The allocation flow works.”

© 2026 Jared Cluff · Labalicious · Lesson 4

Risk lenses

  • Customer trust and experience
  • Money and commitments
  • Security and tenant isolation
  • Privacy and consent
  • Operational recovery
  • Accessibility and device access
© 2026 Jared Cluff · Labalicious · Lesson 4

AI is a brainstorming partner

Ask it for cases. Then check for missing:

  • duplicate action
  • wrong role
  • delay/failure/retry
  • boundary values
  • stale state
  • accessible/mobile experience
© 2026 Jared Cluff · Labalicious · Lesson 4

State transitions reveal bugs

Inquiry → allocation candidate → deposit pending → reserved → notified

Test allowed moves, forbidden moves, and recovery from each state.

© 2026 Jared Cluff · Labalicious · Lesson 4

Lab: Allocation-to-Delivery Test Charter

Deliver: risks, prioritized tests, evidence needs, synthetic data, and automation decision.

Every team must include security, accessibility, and integration coverage.

© 2026 Jared Cluff · Labalicious · Lesson 4

Risk poker

Defend your top three tests.

The goal is not the longest checklist. It is the best use of limited time to protect people and the business.

© 2026 Jared Cluff · Labalicious · Lesson 4

From charter to release evidence

Charter → manual exploration → automated checks → evidence packet → release recommendation

The same intent should survive the whole lifecycle.

© 2026 Jared Cluff · Labalicious · Lesson 4

Exit ticket

Write one negative acceptance criterion for a workflow you know.

© 2026 Jared Cluff · Labalicious · Lesson 4