Rapid Pattern-Oriented Scenario-Based Testing for Embedded Systems

Abstract

Systems change often, and each change requires reverification and revalidation. Modern software development processes such as agile process even welcome and accommodate frequent software changes. Traditionally, software reverification and revalidation are handled by regression testing. This chapter presents a pattern-oriented scenario-based approach to rapidly reverify and revalidate frequently changed software. Key features of this approach are (1) classifying system scenarios into reusable patterns; (2) application of a formal completeness analysis to identify missing scenarios; (3) identifying scenario patterns (SPs) and corresponding verification patterns (VPs) and robustness patterns (RBPs); (4) rapid test script generation by reusing test script templates. This approach is also compatible with formal approaches such as model checking. This approach has been used at industrial sites to test safety-critical medical devices with significant savings in cost and effort. The chapter presents several examples to illustrate the effectiveness and efficiency of this approach.