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An Efficient Algorithm for Combining Verification and Validation Methods

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SOFSEM 2019: Theory and Practice of Computer Science (SOFSEM 2019)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNTCS,volume 11376))

Abstract

An adequate combination of verification and validation (V&V) methods is important to improve software quality control throughout the development process and to reduce costs. However, to find an appropriate set of V&V methods that properly addresses the desired quality characteristics of a given project is a NP-hard problem. In this paper, we present a novel approach that combines V&V methods efficiently in order to properly cover a set of quality characteristics. We modelled the problem using a bipartite graph to represent the relationships between V&V methods and quality characteristics. Then we interpreted our problem as the Set Cover problem. Although Set Cover is considered hard to be solved, through the theoretical framework of Parameterized Complexity we propose an FPT-Algorithm (fixed-parameter tractable algorithm) that effectively solves the problem, considering the number of quality characteristics to be covered as a fixed parameter. We conclude that the proposed algorithm enables combining V&V methods in a scalable and efficient way, representing a valuable contribution to the community.

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Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank CNPq and FAPERJ for the financial support (Project No. E-26/010.001578/2016, Title: “Resolution of Critical Problems of the Software Industry through Graph Theory and its algorithms”). Thanks also to the survey respondents, which provided us the initial configurations to test our approach.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Computer Institute, Fluminense Federal University, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Isela Mendoza, Uéverton Souza, Ruben Interian & Leonado Gresta Paulino Murta

  2. Informatics Department, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Marcos Kalinowski

Authors
  1. Isela Mendoza
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  2. Uéverton Souza
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  3. Marcos Kalinowski
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  4. Ruben Interian
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  5. Leonado Gresta Paulino Murta
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Isela Mendoza .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy

    Barbara Catania

  2. Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia

    Rastislav Královič

  3. Poznań University of Technology, Poznań, Poland

    Jerzy Nawrocki

  4. Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy

    Giovanni Pighizzini

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Mendoza, I., Souza, U., Kalinowski, M., Interian, R., Murta, L.G.P. (2019). An Efficient Algorithm for Combining Verification and Validation Methods. In: Catania, B., Královič, R., Nawrocki, J., Pighizzini, G. (eds) SOFSEM 2019: Theory and Practice of Computer Science. SOFSEM 2019. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 11376. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10801-4_26

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-10801-4_26

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-10800-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-10801-4

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