The build is green, all automated tests have passed, and the pipeline finished without any warnings. At this point, the feature is marked as ready to move forward. From the outside, everything appeared exactly as modern software delivery is supposed to look.
Then the app was opened.
A tester logged in, navigated to the feature, and performed the exact action covered by the automated test. The confirmation message appeared, just like the test expected. Everything looked correct at first.
But when the tester left the screen and came back, the change was gone.
The action had never been saved. No error was shown. No warning appeared. From the user’s perspective, the app simply ignored what they had done. The automated test had passed because the UI responded correctly at the moment, but the system state never changed.
The feature worked just long enough to fool the test.
This is one of those moments that every QA engineer recognizes immediately. The uncomfortable realization that follows is always the same:
The tests passed, but the feature is broken.
Read the full post on my blog: https://qalogy.com/when-a-test-passes-but-the-feature-is-broken/
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