Systematic Software Testing - Experiences from an Application Experiment within ESSI

Software testing is essential to ensure adequate software Quality. The variety of possible errors in software requests for a systematic test approach. Software projects that are willing to improve their testing usually demand for concept applicability and effective tool support. During eighteen month the EU initiative ESSI supported the application experiment ATECON to transferknowledge on testing to industry. ATECON inte- grated existing test methods, relevant standards, and off the shelf test tools to a thorough software test concept. This test concept is mtric based and covers the whole software test life cycle, i.e. unit,integration, system, and acceptance testing. It uses the degree of cirticality of the software components to steer the test effort and select the test methods. Thus, it aims at cost efficiency. The test concept consists of four process models, one for each test phase and several so called software engineering modules. They describe in datail the test activity to be used, and offer templates in which all test relevant information will be gathered. Seven real world projects from aerospace and other technical areas applied this test concept. This paper presents an outline of the concept developed in ATECON and reports about experiences gained during its application. They include the im- portance of training in methods an tools, efforts estimates for software testing, and test tool application. Information on the concept and its engineering modules is available on a PC based information system