Using Process Simulation to Assess the Test Design Effort Reduction of a Model-Based Testing Approach

Abstract

Several researches are being performed to address current software development problems in industry. However, quantifying the benefits of using these solutions in the practice is also a challenge. Usually, pilot studies are run to get evidences about these benefits. Nevertheless, it may be difficult to run these studies due to the required changes in the development process and the lack of available resources. In this work, we address the problem of assessing the test design effort reduction provided by TaRGeT, a tool that supports a Model-Based Testing (MBT) approach. We used process simulation to provide evidence of this effort reduction in a multi-site industry. For that, we modeled, simulated and compared the use of the current and the model-based test design processes. We identified interesting advantages of using process simulation, such as its reduced costs and the possibility to analyze multiple scenarios. We also show some drawbacks of this approach, such as the difficult to create models close to the reality and the lack of processes simulation and comparison support.