The DIDO-TE SHALL reproduce a specified Test Environment across applicable Test Executions.
Repeatable Test Environments permit multiple Test Executions to begin from equivalent defined conditions. Repeatability supports comparison among Test Results, reproduction of observed behaviour, investigation of failures, confirmation of corrective actions, regression testing, and independent reassessment.
Repeatability does not require every execution to produce identical Test Results. Concurrent processing, distributed communication, external dependencies, timing variation, randomized inputs, resource contention, and Test Object behavior may produce legitimate differences. The applicable Test Definition identifies the environmental characteristics that must remain equivalent, the characteristics permitted to vary, and the tolerances governing acceptable variation.
A repeatable Test Environment depends on controlled descriptions of its resources, Nodes, software, configurations, dependencies, data, credentials, network conditions, time sources, external services, security controls, initial states, and provisioning procedures. The DIDO-TE preserves the identity and version of each controlled element and records substitutions, exceptions, and deviations.
The DIDO-TE compares the Test Environment established for each Test Execution with the specified environmental baseline. This comparison establishes whether differences among Test Results arise from the Test Object, specified test variation, or unintended variation in the Test Environment.
Verification confirms that: