Happy journeys
Prove the central business flow works from meaningful start to meaningful finish.
02 · Cases
Cases
Design acceptance scenarios around business journeys, observable outcomes, and consequential exceptions.
A decision-grade case
Write for observation.
A strong UAT case gives a representative user enough context to act naturally while preserving the facts needed to make a decision.
Purpose
The business outcome or risk this scenario is designed to illuminate.
Persona and state
The acting role, relevant permissions, starting conditions, and data state.
Action
A concise journey expressed as user intent, not a script of interface clicks.
Observable result
The outcome, downstream effect, message, record, or control a user can verify.
Evidence cue
The smallest reliable record needed to support the observed result.
Coverage model
Cover consequence, not screens.
Limits and thresholds
Test dates, values, volumes, permissions, and policy thresholds where behaviour changes.
Interrupted work
Observe retries, reversals, partial completion, stale sessions, and downstream recovery.
Privilege and segregation
Prove that authorised work succeeds and prohibited work remains unavailable.
Editorial standard
Make every expected result falsifiable.
Replace
“The order processes correctly” with the exact status, amount, notification, ledger effect, and next available action that must be observed.
Peer review
Ask four hard questions.
01
Could a real user recognise this?
The language and sequence reflect actual work.
02
Could two testers reach the same verdict?
The expected result is specific and observable.
03
Would failure change a release decision?
The case has a clear consequence and priority.
04
Could the evidence stand alone?
The record contains enough context to be understood later.