RCRCRC — A heuristic for regression testing

Jul 31, 2025

Create Memory
RCRCRC heuristic by Karen N. Johnson helps identify areas that need testing when software changes:

Recent - What testing around new areas of code should I think about?

Core - What essential functions or features must continue to work?

Risky - What features or areas of code are inherently more risky?

Configuration Sensitive - What code is dependent on environment settings?

Repaired - What code has changed to address defects and potentially created issues?

Chronic - What code typically breaks features that need to be tested?
In this memory: Karen Johnson Rahul Parwal

RCRCRC is a regression testing heuristic developed by Karen Johnson that helps identify areas that need testing when software changes.

Recent: new features, new areas of code are more vulnerable
Core: essential functions must continue to work
Risk: some areas of an application pose more risk
Configuration sensitive: code that’s dependent on environment settings can be vulnerable
Repaired: bug fixes can introduce new issues
Chronic: some areas in an application may be perpetually sensitive to breaking

Original source: http://karennicolejohnson.com/2009/11/a-heuristic-for-regression-testing/

Image is a screenshot from STEC from a lesson led by Rahul Parwal.

CEO & Founder at Ministry of Testing
She/Her
I've been working in the software testing and quality engineering space since the year 2000 whilst also combining it with my love for education and community building. 🎓 MoT-STEC qualified
Simon Tomes
An absolute classic that every tester should be aware of!

Sign in to comment
TestRail 9.5: AI That Truly Understands Testing image
TestRail AI understands testing to help reach your goals faster with true intelligence. Join us on Sep 18 to learn more.
Explore MoT
Xray AI in action: Test Case & Model Generation for modern QA teams image
Wed, 17 Sep
with Ivan Fillipov, Solution Architect at Xray
Cognitive Biases In Software Testing image
Learn how to recognise cognitive biases, explain what they are and use them to your advantage in your testing
Leading with Quality
A one-day educational experience to help business lead with expanding quality engineering and testing practices.
This Week in Testing image
Debrief the week in Testing via a community radio show hosted by Simon Tomes and members of the community
Subscribe to our newsletter
We'll keep you up to date on all the testing trends.