Certified Associate in Software Testing (CAST) Practice Test

In process terminology, what describes how work must be done?

1. Protocols

2. Guidelines

3. Procedures

4. Policies

The correct answer is: Procedures

The term that best describes how work must be done is "procedures." Procedures outline specific methods or steps that need to be followed to complete tasks or processes reliably and effectively. They are often detailed and provide clear instructions to ensure consistency and compliance with the established way of conducting work within an organization. On the other hand, protocols refer to formal rules or systems that dictate standards and behavior, often used in specific contexts such as networking or healthcare, but they do not typically cover the detailed steps of how work is performed day-to-day. Guidelines provide general principles or recommendations, which offer advice but lack the prescriptive nature required to dictate exact methods. Policies are broader statements that establish an organization's intentions or rules, but they do not specify the detailed steps for implementing those intentions. Thus, procedures fill the role of providing clear and actionable steps on how to carry out tasks effectively.