Ad hoc software refers to software that is tested or built without specific planning. It is often used for testing software products, but some caution against it. Alternatives include acceptance and regression testing. There is controversy over which testing methods are best, and some feel the term “ad hoc software” is overused.
Ad hoc software is software that is tested, built, or otherwise used without specific planning or forethought. This generic term is most often used to describe the testing of software products, where it contrasts with other, more tightly planned testing methods. Ad hoc software is also a trade name in some areas of the world. Some also know it as an acronym for a French type of observation software.
Different technical communities may have slightly different definitions of what ad hoc software is. Most identify ad hoc software as applications that arise rather naturally, or almost randomly, without a lot of stage-specific planned projects or prototypes and parameters. As noted, ad hoc testing is an approach some developers take to test software quickly and effectively. Others advise against this more informal testing process.
Some IT professionals explain ad hoc software testing as a “one-time” test; such a test would only be run once, unless, in the course of testing, the developers see a critical error. These glitches in technology are often called “bugs” in professional parlance. Finding one or more of these in an ad hoc test would generally force programmers to go back and review significant parts of the coding for a program, or test in more planned or rigorous ways.
Alternatives to ad hoc software testing include acceptance testing and regression testing. These types of tests involve rerunning a test for greater effectiveness. Some developers see reasons to always use these more formal testing methods. For example, when software provides effective health or safety protection, redundant testing may be required. This is also true when software testing involves engineering transportation projects or other projects on which people’s lives depend.
For software that isn’t “life-critical,” developers differ on whether ad hoc testing methods are sufficient. The idea of ”exploratory testing” or a more informal or randomized approach is gaining momentum in some quarters of the IT community. While general standards for redundant testing often prevail in the best companies, there is general controversy about which test methods are more desirable.
Some IT professionals feel that the title “ad hoc software” is sometimes misapplied. The phrase seems to over-characterize some software and test products. Using more complex labels could help end users and others better understand how individual software products are developed.
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