Technical Debt
// Definition
The implicit cost of choosing a quick or expedient solution today over a more durable one. In testing, it accumulates as flaky tests, missing coverage, and brittle locators that slow every future change.
// Related terms
Flaky Test
A test that passes and fails intermittently without any code changes, often caused by timing issues, shared state, async race conditions, or external dependencies. The single largest source of CI noise.
Code Coverage
The percentage of source-code lines, branches, or statements executed during a test run. A useful but easy-to-game metric — high coverage doesn't guarantee good tests.
Page Object Model (POM)
A design pattern that wraps page interactions in dedicated classes. Tests call methods like `loginPage.signIn(email, password)` instead of manipulating selectors directly. Improves maintainability when locators change.