SIZE AND EFFORT ESTIMATION IN TESTING APPLICATIONS

• US 20080092120A1
• Filed: 10/11/2007
• Published: 04/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infosys Limited
• Original Assignee: Infosys Technologies Limited (Infosys Limited)
• Inventors: Gupta, Shishank, Rudra, Archana, Udupa, Raghavendra
• Granted Patent: US 8,375,364 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3696 Methods or tools to render software testable

Abstract

Size of a software application testing project is determined, and person/hours required for the testing project is estimated. The software application is sized by counting the number of different parameter types that occur within testing activities associated with the application. The parameter type numbers are then divided by a scaling weight to arrive at a Testing Unit number, which is then divided by a Testing Unit rate, e.g., person hours associated with each testing unit, to arrive at an estimated testing project effort. Some embodiments include an uncertainty calculation that potentially increases testing time based on clarity of the project requirements, the tester familiarity with the application area and the tester familiarity with the domain. Some embodiments calculate separate testing project times for different phases of the testing project.

Claims

1. A computer-enabled method of estimating testing effort in a testing project comprising:

storing, in a database, requirements for the testing project;

calculating raw testing units using the requirements for the testing project and predetermined parameter scaling weights;

storing, in the database, complexity adjustment weights for the testing project;

using the raw testing units and the complexity adjustment weights, determining adjusted testing units;

using the adjusted testing units and predetermined test generation weights to determine estimated testing effort for the testing project.

2. The computer-enabled method of claim 1 wherein determining requirements for the testing project further comprise

storing, in the database, test cases developed from the requirements for the testing project;

and

storing, in the database, application parameters for the test cases.

3. The computer-enabled method of claim 2 wherein the application parameters comprise numbers of steps and numbers of validations for the test cases.

4. The computer-enabled method of claim 3 wherein the numbers of validations comprise numbers of validation checks, numbers of front-end validations, and numbers of back-end validations.

5. The computer-enabled method of claim 4 wherein numbers of back-end validations comprises numbers of database validations, and numbers of external interface validations.

6. The computer-enabled method of claim 1 wherein the complexity adjustment weights for the testing project comprises a clarity of requirement weight, a prior application knowledge weight, and a domain complexity weight.

7. The computer-enabled method of claim 1 further comprising a predetermined test unit hour.

8. The computer-enabled method of claim 7 wherein the predetermined test unit hour is established by determining average hourly productivity of one or more completed testing projects.

9. The computer-enabled method of claim 7 wherein using the adjusted testing units and predetermined test generation weights to determine the estimated testing effort for the testing project further comprises calculating the estimated testing effort, the calculation using the test unit hour, the adjusted testing units and the predetermined test task weights, wherein the predetermined test task weights comprise testing units per task.

10. The computer-enabled method of claim 9 wherein the predetermined test task weights comprise a test case generation weight, wherein the testing effort comprises test case generation effort and wherein using the adjusted testing units and predetermined test generation weights to determine estimated testing effort for the testing project comprises calculating the test case generation effort using the testing units per task, the test case generation weight and the adjusted testing units.

11. The computer-enabled method of claim 9 further comprising:

determining a value of an anticipated test case failure variable; and

calculating test generation subactivities using a predetermined percentage of the test generation effort and the anticipated test case regression percentage variable.

12. The computer-enabled method of claim 8 wherein the predetermined test task weights comprise manual test execution weight, wherein the testing effort comprises a manual test execution effort and wherein using the adjusted testing units and predetermined test generation weights to determine estimated testing effort for the testing project comprises calculating the test case generation effort using the testing units per task, the manual test execution weight and the adjusted testing units.

13. The computer-enabled method of claim 12 further comprising:

determining an anticipated test case regression percentage variable; and

calculating test generation subactivities using predetermined percentages of the test generation effort and the anticipated test case regression percentage variable.

14. The computer-enabled method of claim 12 further comprising calculating test generation subactivities using predetermined percentages of the test generation effort, and wherein the test generation subactivities comprise test result analysis and test result reporting.

15. The computer-enabled method of claim 7 further comprising estimating subactivity efforts as a percentage of the estimated testing effort and further comprising estimating a total test effort as a summation of the subactivity efforts and the estimated testing effort.

16. At least one computer-readable data carrying medium encoded with computer-executable instructions comprising software program code for executing the method of claim 1.

17. A computing device, comprising:

at least one database for storing test estimation values, test cases, complexity application parameter sizes for the test cases, and predefined parameter scaling weights;

a calculation module operationally able to determine raw testing units for the test cases using the complexity application parameter sizes for the test cases, the predefined parameter scaling weights, and operationally able to store the raw testing units in the database; and

an interface module operationally able to allow a user to enter test case values.

18. The computing device of claim 17, wherein the database further comprises:

complexity adjustment parameter values for the test cases, and predefined complexity contribution values; and

wherein the calculation module is operationally able to determine an adjusted testing units value using the raw testing units for the test cases, the complexity adjustment parameter values for the test cases, and the predefined complexity contribution values.

19. The computing device of claim 17 wherein the database further comprises a predefined testing units per hour value and a predefined testing tasks variable value;

and wherein the calculation module is operationally able to determine testing task person hours using the adjusted testing units value, the testing units per hour value and the testing tasks variable value.

20. The computing device of claim 19, wherein the database further comprises an anticipated test case failure rate and envisioned regression amount;

and wherein the calculation module is operationally able to determine total test effort estimation using a combination of the anticipated test case failure rate, the envisioned regression amount, and the testing task person hours.