What is an expected result in software development?

In software development, uncertainty lurks around every corner like in a suspenseful thriller. But one thing that helps us regain control is the concept of expected results. These act like a GPS on your testing journey––guiding you, warning you when you take a wrong turn, and celebrating when you reach your destination. Let’s pull back the curtain and explore exactly what expected results are, why they matter, and how they play out in the real world of coding and testing.

An expected result is simply the outcome you predict or intend after performing a specific action within a software system

What is an expected result?

An expected result is simply the outcome you predict or intend after performing a specific action within a software system. It’s your hypothesis of how the software should behave if everything is working correctly. Whether you’re writing a function, executing a test case, or deploying a new feature, you always have an idea of how things should pan out. That idea is your expected result.

The International Software Testing Qualification Board (ISTQB) defines it neatly as:

“The behavior predicted by the specification, or another source, of the component or system under specified conditions.”

Expected results serve as the baseline for comparison. They turn subjective opinions like “it seems fine” into objective truths like “it returned value X as specified.”

Expected results in programming and testing

In programming, expected results are often directly tied to function outputs. For example, if you write a method that adds two numbers, you expect the result to be their sum. This expectation allows developers to verify the correctness of algorithms, functions, and systems.

Take this simple Python function, for example:

def add(a, b):
    return a + b

result = add(3, 4)
expected_result = 7
assert result == expected_result

Here, expected_result  isn’t just a number. It’s a statement: “When I pass 3 and 4 to add, I expect to receive 7.” If reality disagrees, you’ve got a bug.

When it comes to testing, testing without expected results is like shooting darts blindfolded. Every test case should specify what outcome is expected for given inputs and conditions. This allows testers to clearly determine if the software is behaving as intended.

For example:

• Input: User enters correct username/password
• Expected result: User successfully logs in to the application

Without this, every test is open to subjective interpretation, which is a fast track to inconsistent quality.

Expected results vs. actual results

This is where the rubber meets the road. It is important to keep this clear, because the comparison of these two comprises the essence of testing.

The expected result is what you believe should happen––adding 2 and 2 returns 4. Meanwhile, the actual result represents what actually happens when the test runs––a 5 is returned, and you start questioning everything you know about your life. This would yield either a pass or fail (fail, in this case), and that information is what tells you there’s something you need to pay attention to in your software. Every failed test tells a story. It may indicate a code defect, an outdated requirement, or even an error in the test itself.

Why are expected results important?

You might be wondering, Why all this fuss over something as simple as expectations? Well, here’s why:

• Objective validation: Expected results allow for an unbiased pass/fail determination. No more hand-waving.
• Clear communication: Developers, testers, and stakeholders speak the same language when expectations are documented.
• Early defect detection: Discrepancies between expected results and actual results highlight issues before they snowball into customer-impacting disasters.
• Regulatory compliance: Many industries (e.g., healthcare, finance, aviation) require rigorous documentation of expected outcomes for audit and compliance purposes.
• Faster debugging: When you know what should have happened, it’s easier to find out why it didn’t.

Real-life examples of expected results

Let’s bring this concept into everyday scenarios to see how it serves the software development life cycle.

Login feature for a banking app

Imagine you’re developing a mobile banking app. You write a test case for the login feature.

• Test input: Valid username and password
• Expected result: User successfully logs in and sees the account dashboard

If the app instead throws an error, you know something’s off.

E-commerce checkout system

For an online store:

• Test input: Customer adds items to cart and proceeds to checkout
• Expected result: Total cost reflects correct item prices, taxes, and shipping

If the tax is miscalculated or a discount isn’t applied correctly, your actual result exposes the flaw.

Expected results turn subjective success into measurable success––a cornerstone of effective quality engineering

Enterprise software deployment

Consider a business rolling out a new CRM integration:

• Expected result: Customer records sync correctly between systems within five minutes
• Actual result: Sync fails or takes an hour

Here, expected results aren’t just for testers; they provide critical benchmarks for operations, compliance, and customer satisfaction.

Expected results turn subjective success into measurable success––a cornerstone of effective quality engineering.

Test examples of expected results

Finally, let’s zoom in on how expected results work in software testing and bring in some actual code to demonstrate.

User registration form API test

Scenario

You want to verify that the registration API creates a user successfully.

import requests
url = "https://example.com/api/register" 
payload = { "username": "testuser", "email": "testuser@example.com", "password": "SecurePass123!" } 
response = requests.post(url, json=payload) 
expected_status_code = 201 
expected_message = "Account created successfully" 
assert response.status_code == expected_status_code, f"Expected {expected_status_code}, got {response.status_code}"
assert response.json()["message"] == expected_message, f"Expected message '{expected_message}', got '{response.json()['message']}'"

Expected result

• HTTP 201 status code
• Response message: “Account created successfully”

Password reset UI test

Scenario

Test that requesting a password reset triggers the expected confirmation message.

from selenium import webdriver 
from selenium.webdriver.common.by import By 
from selenium.webdriver.common.keys import Keys 
from selenium.webdriver.support.ui import WebDriverWait 
from selenium.webdriver.support import expected_conditions as EC 
driver = webdriver.Chrome() 
driver.get("https://example.com/forgot-password") 
email_field = driver.find_element(By.ID, "email") 
email_field.send_keys("testuser@example.com") 
email_field.send_keys(Keys.RETURN) 
# Wait for the confirmation message to appear 
wait = WebDriverWait(driver, 10) 
confirmation = wait.until( 
EC.visibility_of_element_located((By.ID, "confirmation-message")) ).text 
expected_message = "Password reset email has been sent."
assert confirmation == expected_message, f"Expected '{expected_message}', but got '{confirmation}'" 
driver.quit()

Expected result

• Confirmation message displayed: “Password reset email has been sent.”

File upload limit backend validation

Scenario

Ensure that files larger than 10MB are rejected.

const assert = require('assert'); 
const request = require('supertest'); 
const app = require('../app'); // Your Express app 
describe('File Upload Test', () => { 
it('should fail when file size exceeds limit', (done) => { 
request(app) 
.post('/upload') 
.attach('file', 'path/to/largefile.zip') // assume this file is >10MB 
.expect(400) 
.end((err, res) => { 
if (err) return done(err); 
assert.strictEqual(res.body.error, 'File size exceeds the maximum limit of 10MB'); 
done(); 
}); 
}); 
});

Expected result

• HTTP 400 error returned
• Error message: “File size exceeds the maximum limit of 10MB”

These examples show how expected results form the very heart of automated tests––allowing us to define exactly what “success” looks like for every scenario. Whether you’re testing APIs, user interfaces, or backend validations, expected results give you a clear, objective pass/fail gate.

When tests execute, Tricentis clearly reports discrepancies between expected results and actual results, enabling rapid root-cause analysis and faster feedback loops

Tricentis and validating expected results

Tricentis makes managing expected results far more systematic and reliable. Through its continuous testing platform, teams can define precise expected outcomes for each test case, whether it’s functional, regression, or API testing.

Tools like Tricentis qTest and Tosca allow testers to capture business requirements directly in test design, automatically linking expected results to those requirements. This ensures traceability and reduces manual errors. When tests execute, Tricentis clearly reports discrepancies between expected results and actual results, enabling rapid root-cause analysis and faster feedback loops.

By integrating expected results into automation, Tricentis helps teams confidently validate software across complex environments, regulatory requirements, and Agile release cycles––all while reducing the cost of quality assurance.

Conclusion

Expected results aren’t just a checkbox on your testing forms––they’re a guiding principle that keeps software development honest, rigorous, and aligned with business goals. They provide a stable reference point amid the swirling uncertainty of complex systems, enabling developers and testers to know precisely when things are working––and when they aren’t.

By understanding and rigorously applying expected results in both coding and testing, you elevate your craft, minimize risk, and deliver software that delights users and withstands scrutiny.

Next steps

• Always define expected results before running any tests.
• Use assertions in code to verify your logic matches expectations.
• Compare actual outcomes against expectations to identify issues early.

This post was written by Juan Reyes. As an entrepreneur, skilled engineer, and mental health champion, Juan pursues sustainable self-growth, embodying leadership, wit, and passion. With over 15 years of experience in the tech industry, Juan has had the opportunity to work with some of the most prominent players in mobile development, web development, and e-commerce in Japan and the US.