On the relationship between use cases and test suites size

Abstract

Software testing, which plays a crucial role in software quality assurance, is a time and resource consuming process. It is, therefore, necessary to estimate as soon as possible the effort required to test software, so that activities can be planned and resources can be optimally allocated. Unfortunately, little is known about the prediction of the testing effort. In this paper, we address the testing effort from the perspective of test suites size. The study presented aims at exploring empirically the relationships between use cases and the size of test suites in object-oriented systems. We introduce four metrics to characterize the size and complexity of use cases. The size of test suites is measured in terms of lines of test code. We performed an experimental study using data collected from five cases studies. Results provide evidence that there is a significant relationship between use case metrics and the size of test suites.

Predicting the Size of Test Suites from Use Cases: An Empirical Exploration

“…We explored in [6] the relationship between use cases and the size of test suites in object-oriented (OO) software systems. The size of test suites was measured in terms of lines of test code.…”

“…Results provide evidence that there is a significant relationship between use cases and the size of test suites. The present paper aims at exploring empirically, more deeply than the study presented in [6], the relationship between use cases and the size of test suites in OO software systems. The goal is to explore the potential of using use cases to predict the testing effort.…”