Finding
A finding is an observation or issue identified during activities such as reviews, audits, inspections, or testing that may require further investigation or corrective action.
“A result of an evaluation that identifies some important issue, problem, or opportunity.”
(Definition reproduced from the ISTQB Glossary. Copyright belongs to ISTQB.)
View the complete ISTQB GlossaryWhat is Finding?
Findings may represent defects, process issues, compliance gaps, or opportunities for improvement discovered during quality activities.
Broad observation: Not every finding is a confirmed defect.
Investigation: Findings are evaluated before determining appropriate actions.
Documentation: Findings provide traceability and support improvement efforts.
Real World Example
A regulated product team is preparing a release where Finding appears in reviews, test design conversations, or defect triage rather than as an isolated glossary word.
The risk is that the team treats Finding 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 Finding and similar ideas.
The page becomes useful in practice because Finding is connected to a specific testing decision, not memorized as a detached definition.
Practice Questions
Question 1
Which statement BEST describes Finding in the context of ISTQB terminology?
Question 2
A tester needs to explain Finding to a non‑technical stakeholder. Which approach is MOST appropriate?
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