The recent CrowdStrike incident highlights a critical lesson for teams developing high-consequence software: prioritizing speed and agility without rigorous testing leads to catastrophic results. While the Agile Testing Pyramid is widely adopted, it falls short for systems where failure can have severe consequences.

In my latest article, I explore the Testing Spectrum:

• The Testing Pyramid is great for lower-consequence applications because it delivers the best bang for the buck, focusing on unit and component tests to achieve sufficient quality with rapid iteration.
• The Testing Trapezoid shifts focus toward more integration and real-world testing to account for higher risk management as the consequences of failure increase.
• The Testing Rectangle demands rigorous testing at all levels to manage risk when the consequences of failure are highest, ensuring that unit, integration, and end-to-end tests are thoroughly conducted.

One of the key takeaways from the CrowdStrike incident is the importance of integration and end-to-end testing. Relying too heavily on unit tests, as often encouraged by the Testing Pyramid, leaves dangerous gaps in identifying critical system-level issues. The more serious the consequences of failure, the more essential it becomes to adopt a strategy that stresses rigorous testing at every level to avoid real-world disasters.

For software with serious real-world impacts, it’s essential to move beyond the traditional testing models and adopt a more comprehensive approach to prevent failures. The lessons from CrowdStrike are a reminder that testing rigor must match the risks.

Read more about evolving from the Testing Pyramid to more rigorous testing models like the Testing Trapezoid and Testing Rectangle, and what’s involved in adopting this approach for high-consequence systems: https://www.edensoftlabs.com/post/poatphcslc