What can be done if requirements are changing continuously?

Work with management early on to understand how requirements might change, so that alternate test plans and strategies can be worked out in advance. It is helpful if the application’s initial design allows for some adaptability, so that later changes do not require redoing the application from scratch. Additionally, try to…

· Ensure the code is well commented and well documented; this makes changes easier for the developers.

· Use rapid prototyping whenever possible; this will help customers feel sure of their requirements and minimize changes.

· In the project’s initial schedule, allow for some extra time to commensurate with probable changes.

· Move new requirements to a ‘Phase 2′ version of an application and use the original requirements for the ‘Phase 1′ version.

· Negotiate to allow only easily implemented new requirements into the project; move more difficult, new requirements into future versions of the application.

· Ensure customers and management understand scheduling impacts, inherent risks and costs of significant requirements changes. Then let management or the customers decide if the changes are warranted; after all, that’s their job.

· Balance the effort put into setting up automated testing with the expected effort required to redo them to deal with changes.

· Design some flexibility into automated test scripts;

· Focus initial automated testing on application aspects that are most likely to remain unchanged;

· Devote appropriate effort to risk analysis of changes, in order to minimize regression-testing needs;

· Design some flexibility into test cases; this is not easily done; the best bet is to minimize the detail in the test cases, or set up only higher-level generic-type test plans;

· Focus less on detailed test plans and test cases and more on ad-hoc testing with an understanding of the added risk this entails.