The evaluation of the specified exit criteria requires information that directly measures the state of test coverage, test execution, and outstanding defects.

EX1 (Risk Coverage): Requires a traceability matrix (A) to confirm that all risk items are linked to test cases.

EX2 (Execution): Requires the execution status of all test cases (D) to confirm they have all been run.

EX3 (Defects): Requires a list of open defects with their classification (B) to confirm no critical defects remain.

The trend in lag time for defect resolution (C) is a process metric that measures the efficiency of the development and testing teams. While valuable for project management and process improvement, it does not determine if the specific, state-based exit criteria have been met.

A traceability matrix (A) is essential to verify that the risk coverage criterion (EX1) has been met.

A list of open defects (B) is essential to verify that the critical defect criterion (EX3) has been met.

The execution status of test cases (D) is essential to verify that the test execution criterion (EX2) has been met.

1. ISTQB® Certified Tester Foundation Level Syllabus (Version 2018 V3.1). Section 5.2, "Test Monitoring and Control," lists common test metrics used to evaluate exit criteria, including test case execution status, defect information (number, status, severity), and test coverage. It does not list defect resolution time as a metric for this purpose. Section 5.3, "Test Reporting," confirms that test summary reports assess the testing against the exit criteria.

2. Pressman, R. S., & Maxim, B. R. (2020). Software Engineering: A Practitioner's Approach (9th ed.). McGraw-Hill. Chapter 21, "Software Testing Strategies," discusses test completion criteria. These are defined by the state of testing, such as achieving a certain coverage level or ensuring all high-severity errors are corrected. Metrics concerning the rate or time to fix defects are treated as project velocity indicators, not as direct measures of test completion against such criteria. (See Section 21.2.2).

3. Kaner, C., Falk, J., & Nguyen, H. Q. (1999). Testing Computer Software (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons. Chapter 2, "A Software Testing Framework," describes exit criteria as specific goals related to the product's state, such as the number and severity of known bugs and the extent of test coverage (p. 34). Chapter 13, "Reporting and Analyzing Bugs," discusses defect lag time as a metric for analyzing the bug-fixing process itself, not for determining if testing is complete (p. 258).