Whenever a fault is detected and fixed then the software should be re-tested to ensure that the original fault has been successfully removed. You should also consider testing for similar and related faults.

Tests should be repeatable, to allow re-testing / regression testing.

Regression testing attempts to verify that modifications have not caused unintended adverse side effects in the unchanged software (regression faults) and that the modified system still meets its requirements. It is performed whenever the software, or its environment, is changed.

Regression test suites are run many times and generally evolve slowly, so regression testing is ideal for automation. If automation is not possible or the regression test suite is very large then it may be necessary to prune the test suite. You may drop repetitive tests, reduce the number of tests on fixed faults, combine test cases, designate some tests for periodic testing, etc. A subset of the regression test suite may also be used to verify.