risk-coverage-mapper

Overview

A risk-coverage matrix proves every meaningful risk has a mitigation that traces to a test or monitor - the risk-side complement to the requirements traceability matrix (traceability-matrix-builder, in the qa-test-management plugin).

Per ISTQB CTAL-TM ch. 5 on risk-based test prioritisation (cite by stable ID).

When to use

• Pre-release risk review - confirm critical risks are covered.
• Audit / compliance - defensible "we tested for risk X" trail.
• Sprint retrospective - find risks accumulating coverage debt.
• Onboarding - see at a glance which risks the test suite addresses.

Step 1 - Ingest the risk register

From the relevant register(s):

• risk-matrix (per-release)
• product-risk-register-builder (long-lived product)
• project-risk-register-builder (project execution - typically excluded from this matrix; only product / release risks map to test coverage)

def load_risks():
    risks = []
    risks.extend(load_matrix("release-Q2-risks.md"))
    risks.extend(load_product_register("product-risks.md"))
    return [r for r in risks if r["score"] >= 5]   # Medium+

Step 2 - Inventory coverage

Three coverage sources:

Automated tests

Scan the repo for tests linked to risk IDs (via test name, docstring, or front-matter):

grep -r "risk:R-001\|risk:PR-001" tests/ --include="*.py" \
  --include="*.js" --include="*.ts" --include="*.java" -l

Convention: tag tests with a risk:<ID> marker in name / comment:

# tests/billing/test_promo_stacking.py
def test_stacked_promo_rounding_eu():
    """Risk: PR-001 (pricing engine off-by-cent in EU markets)"""
    ...

Manual test cases (via TCM)

For each risk, query the TCM (testrail-case-management or sibling) for cases linked via the refs field:

def cases_for_risk(risk_id):
    return testrail_search(refs__contains=risk_id)

Production monitoring

Risks mitigated by monitoring (rather than tests):

# risk-coverage.yaml extract
PR-003:
  monitors:
    - datadog-monitor://stripe-webhook-failure-rate
    - pingdom-check://stripe-webhook-endpoint

Step 3 - Build the matrix

def build_coverage_matrix(risks, tests, cases, monitors):
    rows = []
    for r in risks:
        rt = [t for t in tests if r["id"] in t["tags"]]
        rc = [c for c in cases if r["id"] in c["refs"]]
        rm = [m for m in monitors if r["id"] in m["risk_ids"]]
        rows.append({
            "risk_id": r["id"],
            "risk": r["title"],
            "score": r["score"],
            "automated_tests": rt,
            "manual_cases": rc,
            "monitors": rm,
            "coverage_depth": len(rt) + len(rc) + len(rm),
        })
    return rows

Coverage depth interpretation

Step 4 - Emit the matrix

Emit a Markdown document ordered by score descending, with these sections:

• Header - total risks (score >= 5), covered count and %, orphan count (split critical vs low), average coverage depth.
• Risks by coverage - one row per risk: ID, title, score, automated tests, manual cases, monitors, and depth. Bold any orphan (depth 0).
• Orphan risks (critical action) - every depth-0 risk with a one-line reason.
• Over-covered risks (audit) - depth 5+ risks to check for redundancy.

The full annotated template is in references/risk-coverage-output-templates.md; the worked example below shows it filled for one release.

Step 5 - Identify orphan tests

Tests with risk:<ID> tags pointing to retired / non-existent risks:

def find_orphan_tests(tests, risk_set):
    return [t for t in tests if t.get("risk_tag") not in risk_set]

These are tests written for risks that no longer exist (the risk was retired, the feature deprecated). Audit for deletion.

Step 6 - Executive summary

Roll the matrix up into a stakeholder-facing summary: a one-line headline (covered vs total, orphan count), the critical orphans each with a recommended action, owner, and estimate, the possibly-over-covered audit list, and a coverage-debt trend table (orphan count and average depth over recent months). The template is in references/risk-coverage-output-templates.md.

Step 7 - CI integration

Re-build the matrix on every PR; fail if a critical-score risk becomes uncovered:

- name: Risk coverage check
  run: |
    python scripts/build-risk-coverage.py \
      --risks risks.yaml \
      --output risk-coverage.md \
      --fail-on-orphan-score 15

Worked example - Q2 2026 release

Ingest (Step 1) pulls 27 medium-or-higher risks from the release matrix and the product register. Coverage inventory (Step 2) scans the repo for risk:<ID> tags, queries the TCM for linked cases, and reads the monitor map. The matrix (Steps 3-4), ordered by score:

Headline (Step 6): 23 of 27 covered (85%); 4 orphans, 2 of them critical. Critical orphans, with recommended actions:

• R-22 (score 20): a k6 load-test scenario baselined at current production rates (2 person-days, owner Dan). Orphan because the load-test infra is not yet in place.
• PR-007 (score 12): 1 manual case + 1 automated unit test (1 person-day, owner Eve). Orphan because the risk was added this quarter with no tests yet.

PR-003 sits at depth 5 and is flagged for a redundancy audit. The CI gate (Step 7) fails the next PR if any risk with score >= 15 drops to depth 0.

Anti-patterns

Limitations

• Tag discipline required. If tests aren't tagged, the matrix under-reports coverage.
• Doesn't measure test quality. A risk with 5 weak tests vs 1 strong test reads the same in the matrix; assess test strength separately.
• Risk score is upstream judgement. If the score is wrong (under- or over-stated), the coverage requirement is wrong.
• Monitor coverage is hard to validate. A Datadog monitor exists ≠ it would catch the risk.
• Cross-team coverage gaps. Risks owned by one team may have mitigations in another team's repo; cross-team scanning needed.

References

• ISTQB Advanced Test Manager (CTAL-TM) syllabus, ch. 5 on risk-based testing + risk-coverage measurement.
• ISTQB Glossary - glossary.istqb.org (opens in new window) - "coverage item", "test condition".
• ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-3:2021 §6.3 - traceability.
• Composes: risk-matrix, product-risk-register-builder, traceability-matrix-builder.