Preview of Test Case Selection Based on Comparative Cost and Risk-Based Value | Mark Gillenson

The testing challenge is being able to select an efficient and effective set of test cases within the limited resources available for testing. The term “efficient” refers to the realization that the number of test cases is inherently limited by the testing resources available. The term “effective” refers to the ability of the selected test cases to find code defects that exist. Mark Gillenson addressed this problem by interviewing a set of testing professionals in a corporate partner and applying qualitative research techniques to reach their conclusions. This work was conducted in two stages. The first stage was to develop a comparative cost model of test cases. The second stage was to incorporate the cost model results into a broader model that focused on the comparative risk-based value of the test cases. The models were realized in the form of mathematical functions that could be used to compare the cost and value of potential test cases. The results were evaluated using a Monte-Carlo simulation.