QWE2002 Paper 3A Mr. Ibrahim K. El-Far, Ms. Florence E. Mottay & Mr. Herbert H. Thompson (Florida Institute of Technology) Choosing an Appropriate Software Testing Method

Key Points

• Selecting testing methods is a critical factor for successful quality assurance.
• Analyzing software context is key to adopting an appropriate testing style.
• The factors that influence selection are many: context, cost, and organizational condi-t.

Presentation Abstract

Software testing presents us with an abundance of challenging problems. One such problem that has been little investigated until recently is the selection of a testing method that is appropriate to test a specific software application. There are scores of styles to choose from: scenario, explora-tory, model-based, stochastic, control flow, functional, and data flow, just to name a few. Making a suitable choice greatly improves a projects effectiveness and typically contributes to increased efficiency. To make reliable decisions, we need to consider, at least in part, the results of analyz-ing the context of the software under test. This work is an endeavor to bring up the critical issues in selecting a software testing method.

About the Author

Ibrahim K. El-Far is a doctoral student in computer science under James A. Whittaker at the Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Florida. His interests are in investigating software models, test automation and tools, adequacy criteria, and software testing education. In 2000, El-Far received an IBM CAS Fellowship supporting his research in software testing.

Florence E. Mottay is a graduate student in software engineering and a research assistant at the Center for Software Engineering Research, Florida Institute of Technology, Melbourne. Her research interests are in software testing, formal languages, mathematical models, and e-commerce. She was awarded for excellence in mathematics by the United States Achievement Academy (1997) and for academic excellence by the American Association of University Women (1998).

Herbert H. Thompson is a doctoral student in mathematics at the Florida Institute of Technology. In the past, he has worked for Microsoft Corporation as a test engineer. His research interests are in software engineering, security, and applying mathematics to computer science problems.