Defect Seeding is a testing technique where you deliberately add known bugs into the software to evaluate how effective our testing really is. Let's think of it as testing the test process itself.
If testers or automated tests can catch these planted defects, it’s a good sign that the testing approach is working. If many of them go unnoticed, that’s a signal that coverage is weak or certain risk areas are being missed. This technique is also used to estimate how many real defects might still be hidden.
For example, if testers find 15 out of 20 seeded defects, we might assume a similar detection rate for real bugs.
However, this only works if the seeded defects behave like real ones, which isn’t always the case.
Because it takes effort and careful planning, defect seeding is mostly used in research or controlled environments rather than day-to-day projects.
If testers or automated tests can catch these planted defects, it’s a good sign that the testing approach is working. If many of them go unnoticed, that’s a signal that coverage is weak or certain risk areas are being missed. This technique is also used to estimate how many real defects might still be hidden.
For example, if testers find 15 out of 20 seeded defects, we might assume a similar detection rate for real bugs.
However, this only works if the seeded defects behave like real ones, which isn’t always the case.
Because it takes effort and careful planning, defect seeding is mostly used in research or controlled environments rather than day-to-day projects.
