Definition
This is the measure of the amount of testing that has been completed against the amount of testing that could or will be tested by the tests in question.
[Source: =BCS, with additions]
Comment
This is often expressed as a percentage but can be measured in many different ways including:
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code coverage, where the coverage is measured against parameters regarding the amount of source code in the product being exercised by the tests
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coverage of the thoroughness (exhaustive, thorough, identification) of the tests with regard to the operation of the software being tested
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data path analysis, where the possible types of data usable by the product under test are tested
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requirements coverage, where the coverage is measured by the amount of requirements being proven by the tests.
On many programmes and large projects, testing will take up a significant portion of the budget. But it will receive less management attention than an activity of this size warrants.