Test Adequacy Assessment Using Test-Defect Coverage Analytic Model

Abstract

Software testing is an essential activity in software development process that has been widely used as a means of achieving software reliability and quality. The emergence of incremental development in its various forms required a different approach to determining the readiness of the software for release. This approach needs to determine how reliable the software is likely to be based on planned tests, not defect growth and decline as typically shown in reliability growth models. A combination of information from a number of sources into an easily understood dashboard is expected to provide both qualitative and quantitative analyses of test and defect coverage properties. Hence, Test-Defect Coverage Analytic Model (TDCAM) is proposed which combines test and defect coverage information presented in a dashboard to help deciding whether there are enough tests planned. A case study has been conducted to demonstrate the usage of the proposed model. The visual representations and results gained from the case study show the benefits of TDCAM in assisting practitioners making informed test adequacy-related decisions.