Checklist-Based Testing
Checklist-based testing uses a predefined list of items, conditions, or questions to guide testing — a lightweight structure without the full detail of written test cases. It's faster to create and execute than formal test cases, at the cost of being less precise and harder to make fully repeatable.
A typical checklist item might be as simple as "form validates required fields" rather than a fully scripted test case with exact steps and data — leaving the specific execution to the tester's judgment in the moment, which speeds things up but introduces some inconsistency between testers.
Checklists work well for recurring, well-understood checks — a pre-release sanity pass, a cross-browser spot-check — where the team already knows what "good" looks like and doesn't need the ceremony of full test case documentation for each item.
