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Acquisition Archetypes: Happy Path Testing

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When time and budget are tight, it's tempting to follow the "happy path" in testing. But be careful: it may be a path that brings your program great unhappiness.
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Software Engineering Institute

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Abstract

When time and budget are tight, it's tempting to follow the "happy path" in testing. But be careful: it may be a path that brings your program great unhappiness.

From the Acquisition Support Program, one in a series of short papers on acquisition patterns of failure.

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Patterns of Failure: Acquisition Archetypes
Cite This SEI Report

Levine, L., & Novak, W. (2009, October 15). Acquisition Archetypes: Happy Path Testing. Retrieved September 17, 2026, from https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/acquisition-archetypes-happy-path-testing/.

@techreport{levine_2009,
author={Levine, Linda and Novak, William},
title={Acquisition Archetypes: Happy Path Testing},
month={Oct},
year={2009},
institution={Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University},
url={https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/acquisition-archetypes-happy-path-testing/},
note={Accessed: 2026-Sep-17}
}

Levine, Linda, and William Novak. "Acquisition Archetypes: Happy Path Testing." Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, October 15, 2009. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/acquisition-archetypes-happy-path-testing/.

L. Levine, and W. Novak, "Acquisition Archetypes: Happy Path Testing," Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University. Software Engineering Institute, 15-Oct-2009 [Online]. Available: https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/acquisition-archetypes-happy-path-testing/. [Accessed: 17-Sep-2026].

Levine, Linda, and William Novak. "Acquisition Archetypes: Happy Path Testing." Software Engineering Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Software Engineering Institute, 15 Oct. 2009. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/acquisition-archetypes-happy-path-testing/. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

Levine, Linda; & Novak, William. Acquisition Archetypes: Happy Path Testing. Software Engineering Institute. 2009. https://www.sei.cmu.edu/library/acquisition-archetypes-happy-path-testing/

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