Cause-Effect Graphing

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Cause-effect graphing is a technique to test software by using a graph or a table to represent the causes and effects of defects in software. You test each cause of a specific feature (a user story, or a business requirement) and validate each effect. Cause-effect graphing is based on software requirements and specifications.

Cause-Effect Graphing Examples

• You test a login feature. You brainstorm all the factors that could potentially affect the login feature. You draw a graph to show the factors (causes) of the feature, such as username, password, and login status. You also show the effects of the feature, such as message, access, and session creation. You then connect each cause to the effects with a line. If you believe that two causes are related, you draw a line between them. Then, you design and execute test cases that test each cause and effect.
  
• You test a money transfer feature. You draw a graph or a table to show the causes of the system, such as account selection, OTP match, transfer amount, and sufficient balance. You also show the effects of the feature, such as deduction, addition, and confirmation. You then connect each cause to the effects with a line. If two causes are related, you draw a line between them. You test each cause and validate each effect.
• You test a flight booking feature. You create a table to show the causes of the feature, such as destination, date, availability, and payment. You also show the effects of the feature, such as ticket generation, and confirmation. Using your cause effect table, you test each cause independently and related causes together and validate each effect.

Tips for Cause-Effect Graphing

• Prioritize the critical features of your software for cause-effect graphing.
  
• Select the features of the system that depend on the causes and effects.
  
• Identify the causes and effects of the system with the help of user stories use cases, scenarios, flowcharts, and other requirements.

FAQ (interview questions and answers)

1. What is the purpose of cause-effect graphing?
   Its a graphical representation that represents multiple factors (causes) and outcomes (effects) of a feature.
2. What is the advantage of cause-effect graphing?
   It helps design tests that consider all causes and the relationships between them. The stakeholders can visualize the software behavior in a clear and concise way
3. What challenges do you face in cause-effect graphing?
   It is difficult to identify all the potential causes that could affect the outcomes. It takes significant effort to create and maintain graphs or tables for large or complex systems. It is difficult to validate the accuracy of the cause-effect graph.
4. Is cause-effect graphing a type of black-box testing?
   Yes, it is a test design technique that needs basic or no knowledge of the software code or structure.

Remember to just comment if you have any doubts or queries.