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testland/exploratory-testing

Session-based exploratory testing per the Bachs' SBTM: authoring charters (Explore X with Y to discover Z), running time-boxed sessions (60-90 min), logging session sheets with TBS metrics, and closing with the PROOF session debrief (Past, Results, Outlook, Obstacles, Feelings). Bundles the classic exploration heuristics as references: Whittaker's seven test tours (Feature, Money, Landmark, Intellectual, Bad-data, Configuration, Garbage collector's), Kelly's FCC CUTS VIDS recon tours, Bach's SFDPOT what-to-vary catalog, Bolton's HICCUPPS-F oracle heuristic, and Bach's CRUSSPIC STMPL quality criteria - plus a ready-to-fill charter-card template and a session-sheet review checklist. Use when planning, chartering, running, debriefing, or reviewing an exploratory testing session, or when picking a test tour, heuristic, or oracle mid-session. For scripted manual test cases, use manual-test-script-author instead.

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session-review-checklist.mdreferences/

Session-sheet review checklist

Deep reference for exploratory-testing SKILL.md. The lead's (or a peer's) review pass over a completed SBTM session sheet, run before the sheet is filed - the reviewer half of the debrief loop that debrief.md starts.

The review pass

  1. Locate the sheet. Review the filed debrief file or the inline text. Refuse to review if no session sheet is present.

  2. Check each PROOF field. Per Jonathan and James Bach's SBTM framework (satisfice.com/download/session-based-test-management), rate each as Complete, Thin, or Missing. Minimum bar: Past names areas + tours; Results has bug IDs or confirmed-working items; Obstacles names blockers or states "none"; Outlook lists uncovered areas and one next charter; Feelings states product-confidence level (confident / mixed / uneasy) - not a number.

  3. Flag thin Feelings specifically. Feelings is the load-bearing field (debrief.md). A single word or numeric rating is Thin. Coach: rewrite to state product-confidence level (confident / mixed / uneasy) and attention quality.

  4. Evaluate the TBS split. Healthy thresholds (session-sheet-and-metrics.md, same SBTM source above): T 60-80%, B 10-20%, S 10-15%.

    • S > 30%: environment problem; recommend pre-seeding test data and verifying the environment before the next session.
    • T < 50%: charter too broad, or environment collapsed; split the charter or fix the environment before the next session.
    • If bucket percentages are absent: flag as a missing metric.

  5. Recommend the next charter. From the Outlook's uncovered areas, synthesize one charter in Explore X with Y to discover Z form (charter-template.md). If Outlook is empty, derive from Results surprises or Obstacles blockers.

Review output format

Sections in order:

  1. PROOF completeness - one table row per field (Field / Status / Coaching note).
  2. TBS health - one line per bucket with [OK / WARNING] label.
  3. Recommended next charter - Explore X with Y to discover Z.
  4. Verdict - READY TO FILE or REVISE FIRST with one-sentence priority fix.

Hard rules

  • No Charter field present: not a valid SBTM session sheet - do not review.
  • Feelings section absent (not just thin): the sheet cannot be marked READY TO FILE per the PROOF contract.
  • Results section empty: no next-charter recommendation can be derived.

References

references

charter-template.md

crusspic-stmpl.md

debrief.md

fcc-cuts-vids.md

hiccupps-f.md

session-review-checklist.md

session-sheet-and-metrics.md

sfdpot.md

tours.md

SKILL.md

tile.json