Scenario testing

 | publisher = Cem Kaner

}}</ref> These tests are usually different from test cases in that test cases are single steps whereas scenarios cover a number of steps.

Kaner coined the phrase scenario test by October 2003. He had already co-authored a book on software testing, lectured on the subject, and was a testing consultant. He commented that one of the most difficult aspects of testing was maintaining step-by-step test cases along with their expected results. His paper attempted to find a way to reduce the re-work of complicated written tests and incorporate the ease of use cases.

A few months later, Buwalda wrote about a similar approach he had been using that he called "soap opera testing". Like television soap operas these tests were both exaggerated in activity and condensed in time. The key to both approaches was to avoid step-by-step testing instructions with expected results and instead replaced them with a narrative that gave freedom to the tester while confining the scope of the test.

• Test script
• Session-based testing