Fault Seeding
Fault seeding is the deliberate insertion of known defects into software to evaluate the effectiveness of testing activities and estimate the number of remaining defects.
“The process of intentionally adding defects to a component or system to monitor the rate of detection and removal, and to estimate the number of defects remaining.”
(Definition reproduced from the ISTQB Glossary. Copyright belongs to ISTQB.)
View the complete ISTQB GlossaryWhat is Fault Seeding?
By measuring how many seeded faults are detected, teams can assess test effectiveness and estimate defect detection capability using statistical models.
Intentional defects: Known faults are inserted before testing.
Testing evaluation: Detection of seeded faults indicates testing effectiveness.
Measurement support: Can help estimate undiscovered defects.
Real World Example
A regulated product team is preparing a release where Fault seeding appears in reviews, test design conversations, or defect triage rather than as an isolated glossary word.
The risk is that the team treats Fault seeding as interchangeable with nearby ISTQB terms. That makes test scope blurry and can lead to weak evidence for the release decision.
The tester anchors the discussion in the official definition, asks where the concept appears in the product, and designs examples that show the difference between Fault seeding and similar ideas.
The page becomes useful in practice because Fault seeding is connected to a specific testing decision, not memorized as a detached definition.
Practice Questions
Question 1
Which statement BEST describes Fault seeding in the context of ISTQB terminology?
Question 2
A tester needs to explain Fault seeding to a non‑technical stakeholder. Which approach is MOST appropriate?
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