Prisma
PRISMA (Product RISk MAnagement) is a risk analysis technique used to identify, evaluate, and prioritize product risks to support risk-based testing and quality improvement.
“A technique used in risk-based testing that creates a product risk matrix.”
(Definition reproduced from the ISTQB Glossary. Copyright belongs to ISTQB.)
View the complete ISTQB GlossaryWhat is Prisma?
PRISMA helps teams systematically assess product risks so testing efforts can focus on the areas with the greatest potential business or technical impact.
Risk identification: Potential product risks are documented and analyzed.
Prioritization: Risks are ranked according to likelihood and impact.
Testing focus: High-risk areas receive greater testing effort.
Real World Example
A regulated product team is preparing a release where Prisma appears in reviews, test design conversations, or defect triage rather than as an isolated glossary word.
The risk is that the team treats Prisma 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 Prisma and similar ideas.
The page becomes useful in practice because Prisma is connected to a specific testing decision, not memorized as a detached definition.
Practice Questions
Question 1
Which statement BEST describes Prisma in the context of ISTQB terminology?
Question 2
A tester needs to explain Prisma to a non‑technical stakeholder. Which approach is MOST appropriate?
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