Timing Condition

Go up to Terms and Definitions

A Timing Condition is a condition that constrains or characterizes when an event or activity starts, occurs, completes, repeats, or relates temporally to another event or activity.

A Timing Condition can establish:

• A starting time
• A completion time
• A duration
• A delay
• A timeout
• A frequency
• A repetition interval
• A response time
• An observation interval
• A synchronization condition
• An ordering constraint
• A time window
• A deadline
• A permitted timing variation
• A temporal relationship between events or activities

A Timing Condition can apply to:

• Test Execution
• A Test Run
• A Test Sequence
• A Sequence Step
• A Test Step
• A Test Executable
• An Executable Instruction
• An event
• An observation
• A measurement
• A response
• Another time-dependent activity or occurrence

A Timing Condition can identify:

• Its applicable event or activity
• Its reference event
• Its time basis
• Its clock source
• Its time zone
• Its unit of measure
• Its required value
• Its minimum value
• Its maximum value
• Its tolerance
• Its required precision
• Its measurement method
• Its applicable Acceptance Criteria
• Its applicable Governance Policies
• Its Provenance
• Its Traceability

condition that constrains or characterizes when an event or activity starts, occurs, completes, repeats, or relates temporally to another event or activity

Adapted from:

• OMG Test Information Interchange Format (TestIF), Version 1.0 Beta 3
• Test Execution
• Test Run
• Test Sequence
• Sequence Step
• DIDO Reference Implementation Conceptual Model
• DIDO-TE draft Requirements Register

OMG TestIF supports start times, completion times, timeouts, sequence progression, and occurrence-specific information needed to represent time-dependent testing behavior.

OMG TestIF does not define Timing Condition as a separate TestIF model element. This definition introduces the term to represent temporal constraints and characteristics needed for Test Execution and Reproducibility.

Use the singular glossary term Timing Condition. Link plural usage to the same controlling page:

[[dido:99_annexes:annex-b-terms-and-definitions:t:timing_condition|Timing Conditions]]

A Timing Condition differs from a Starting Condition:

• A Starting Condition identifies the state, value, event, or circumstance applicable when an activity begins
• A Timing Condition constrains or characterizes the temporal occurrence or relationship

A starting time can be both:

• Part of a Starting Condition
• A Timing Condition

A Timing Condition differs from an Expected Result:

• A Timing Condition establishes or characterizes a temporal constraint
• An Expected Result identifies an anticipated outcome used to evaluate a Test Result

An Expected Result can incorporate a Timing Condition, such as requiring a response within five seconds.

A Timing Condition differs from a measured time:

• A Timing Condition establishes or characterizes the applicable temporal constraint
• A measured time records an observed temporal value

The applicable Test Result can record the measured time and its relationship to the Timing Condition.

A Timing Condition must define its measurement boundaries. A duration is not objectively measurable unless the applicable information identifies:

• The starting event
• The completion event
• The time basis
• The unit of measure
• The required precision
• The permitted tolerance

Distributed systems can use different clocks. A Timing Condition involving multiple Nodes should identify the applicable clock source, synchronization method, and permitted clock variation.

Reproducible Test Execution does not necessarily require identical timing. The Acceptance Criteria can define bounded temporal variation.

A Test Step requires a Node to return a transaction identifier within five seconds after the Node receives a transaction request.

The Timing Condition identifies:

• Receipt of the transaction request as the starting event
• Generation of the complete response as the completion event
• Five seconds as the maximum duration
• Milliseconds as the measurement unit
• The monotonic clock used for measurement
• The required measurement precision
• The permitted clock variation
• The treatment of a timeout

The Test Result records the measured response time. The evaluator compares the measured response time with the Timing Condition when assigning the Verdict.