test-preservation

To fix a failing CI build without deleting tests, you must diagnose the failure root cause and resolve the code issue rather than removing the test. This test-preservation protocol enforces structured failure diagnosis to maintain stable software delivery.

Test preservation in quality assurance is the discipline of preventing the removal or skipping of tests to make builds pass. It ensures code quality by enforcing structured failure analysis and maintaining test coverage during CI failures.

Handling flaky tests in a CI CD pipeline requires evaluating the test failures and fixing the root causes. You should only update tests after validating expected behavior changes and documenting the rationale to preserve test coverage.

You should update a failing test instead of deleting it only when the expected application behavior has legitimately changed. This requires validating the new behavior and documenting the rationale to maintain quality assurance.

Teams delete tests to pass builds to quickly resolve CI failures, but this harms code quality by reducing test coverage. Skipping tests degrades CI CD feedback loops and compromises reliable release readiness over time.