Mutation analysis is a technique used in software testing to assess the effectiveness and adequacy of test cases. It involves introducing small, intentional changes or "mutations" to the source code of a program and then re-running the test cases to see if they can detect these mutations. The goal of mutation analysis is to identify weaknesses in the test suite, such as missing or ineffective test cases, by measuring how well it can detect the introduced mutations. This technique helps improve the quality of software testing by revealing areas where the test cases can be strengthened or expanded.