Experiments with Component Tests to Improve Software Quality

• In commercial systems, time to market pressure often result in short cuts in the design phase where component test is most vulnerable. It is hard to define how much testing is cost effective by the individual developers, and hard to judge when testing is enough. Verification activities constitute a major part of the product cost. Failures unearthed during later phases of product development escalate the cost substantially. To reduce cost in later stages of testing by reducing failures is important not only for Ericsson, but for any software producer. At Ericsson, we created a scheme, Software Quality Rank (SQR). SQR is a way to improve quality on components. SQR consists of five steps, where the first is where the actual "ranking" of components takes place. Then a selection of components is targeted for improvement in five levels. Most components are targeted for rank 3, which is the cost-efficient quality level. Rank 5 is the target for safety-critical code. The goal of SQR was to provide developers with a tool that prioritizes what to do before delivery to next system test phase. SQR defines a stepwise plan, which describes how much and what to test on component level for each rank. It gives the process for how to prioritize components; re-introduces reviews; requires usage of static analysis tools and defines what coverage to be achieved. The scheme has been used with great success at different design organizations within and outside Ericsson and we believe it supports industry in defining what cost-efficient component test in a time to market situation.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Elektroteknik och elektronik -- Datorsystem (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Electrical Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering -- Computer Systems (hsv//eng)

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