Uhh, that is a hard one. I am kind of jumping between 2 and 4. I would probably sacrifice the exploratory testing since I believe all the remaining ones are still necesasary.

I would take off the Automated UI testing. It doesn’t worth the work because it UI  normally changes...

Automated Testing - Let the machines do the work, but at what cost?
While automation increases efficiency and reduces repetitive tasks, it can also lead to overlooking edge cases that require human intuition. I believe the key is finding the right balance—automate where it makes sense, but don’t sacrifice thoroughness.

Manual Testing - Human touch is invaluable, or is it?
Manual testing is essential for nuanced scenarios, as testers can leverage their creativity and understanding of user experience. However, it can be time-consuming and may miss some of the efficiency that automation offers.

CI/CD Pipeline Testing - Seamless integration or overkill?
CI/CD testing is crucial for rapid feedback, but it can sometimes feel overwhelming with too many tests running at once. I think it’s important to prioritize meaningful tests to avoid noise and maintain quality.

Exploratory Testing - Creative freedom or chaotic mess?
Exploratory testing allows for creativity and discovering unexpected issues, but it can lack structure. I’d advocate for a balance between exploratory and structured testing to capture both insights and reliability.

Test-Driven Development (TDD) - Code-first or test-first?
I lean towards TDD as it promotes better design and encourages thinking about edge cases upfront. However, it can slow down initial development, so the context of the project matters.

What would I sacrifice? I’d be cautious about sacrificing exploratory testing because it can reveal critical insights that automated tests might miss. I believe the human element is irreplaceable when it comes to understanding user experience and creativity in testing.

Let the debate begin! What are your thoughts?

2) Manual Testing, as it its for me the same as 4) Exploratory Testing :-)

And I’m confused about 1) Automated Testing and 4) CI/CD Pipeline Testing and 5) TDD. Aren’t the 4) and 5) subsets of 1) ? So if I remove 1) I remove also 4) and 5).

This five choices, each by itself, are problematic to me. At the very least they are ambiguous, I don’t know what you mean by them. Also I prefer “automation in testing” over “automated testing”.