System and method for resource modeling and simulation in test planning

• US 8,893,086 B2
• Filed: 09/11/2009
• Issued: 11/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bassin, Kathryn A., Hess, Howard M., Huang, Sheng, Kagan, Steven, Li, Shao C., Li, Zhong J., Liu, He H., Skrabanek, Susan E., Tan, Hua F., Wang, Li, Zhu, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Li B
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DUY KHUONG THANH
• Application Number:
  US12/558,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20110066490A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,894 Days
• Field of Search: 717/124, 717134-135
• US Class Current: 717/124
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3672 Test management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3684 for test design, e.g. generating new test cases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/70 Software maintenance or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0249 based upon budgets or funds

Abstract

A method includes generating a test model based on at least one of test group dependencies and test group constraints and generating a resource base. The method includes generating a cost model and generating a resource allocation plan based on the test model, the resource base, and the cost model.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a computer infrastructure having computer executable code tangibly embodied on a computer readable storage medium having programming instructions operable to:

generate a test model based on test group dependencies and test group constraints, the generating comprising;

automatically deriving the test group dependencies from traceability between test cases and use cases, the test cases are defined in a micro plan as tasks that are performed in association with a particular use case, and as such are linked to the particular use case;

enhancing the test group dependencies with trigger information, wherein the enhancing comprises identifying a trigger associated with each of the test cases, and associating the trigger with the test group dependencies derived from the traceability between the test cases and the use cases; and

generating the test model based on the enhanced test group dependencies and the test group constraints,

generate a resource base;

generate a cost model; and

generate a resource allocation plan based on the test model, the resource base, and the cost model.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the test model comprises a test dependency graph.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the test dependency graph is based on at least one of the enhanced test group dependencies and the test group constraints which are defined by at least one of:

manual input from a user;

use case dependencies; and

association with the trigger.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource base defines attributes associated with testers.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the cost model is based on at least one of:

at least one business cost definition;

at least one defect-fix cost definition; and

at least one cost-per-delay definition.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the resource allocation plan comprises optimizing the cost model for a minimum total cost in view of at least one user-defined constraint.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the at least one user-defined constraint comprises at least one of:

expected escape defects; and

maximum time duration.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

receiving an adjusted value of the at least one user-defined constraint from the user; and

generating a new resource allocation plan by re-calculating the resource allocation plan based on the adjusted value.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying a comparison of the resource allocation plan and the new resource allocation plan.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the comparison comprises at least one of:

a comparison of total cost; and

a comparison of total duration.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising alerting a user when a project delay exceeds a delay warning threshold.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the delay warning threshold is manually input and stored in the cost model.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising prompting the user to adjust a constraint based on the project delay.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving an adjusted value of the constraint; and

generating a new resource allocation plan by re-calculating the resource allocation plan based on the adjusted value.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising suggesting an adjusted value of the constraint to the user.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the resource allocation plan comprises an allocation of resources defined in the resource base to a set of test cases defined in the test model; and

the allocation of resources satisfies test case dependencies defined in the test model, satisfies at least one user-defined constraint defined in the cost model, and minimizes a total cost defined by the cost model.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of:

the computing infrastructure is provided by a service provider under at least one of a subscription, fee agreement, and based on advertising content to one or more third parties; and

a service provider at least one of creates, maintains, deploys and supports the computing infrastructure.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the test model comprises:

determining whether use case dependency information is available by examining the use cases;

when the use case dependency information is available, automatically deriving the test case dependencies from traceability between the test cases and the use case dependency information; and

when the use case dependency information is not available, prompting a user to input the test case dependencies.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein:

the generating the test model further comprises defining the micro plan with the association between the trigger and each of the test cases; and

the test group constraints comprise at least one of test environment, language, and knowledge and are configured to limit a scope of a candidate tester.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the generating the test model further comprises:

identifying the test group constraints for a test;

generating a test dependency graph based on the enhanced test group dependencies and the test group constraints; and

saving the test dependency graph as the test model.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the resource allocation plan allocates resources defined in the resource base to the test cases, minimizes a total cost base on the cost model, conforms to the test group dependencies derived in the test model, and satisfies at least one constraint defined in the cost model.

22. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage memory having readable program code embodied in the storage memory, the program code when executed on a computing device causes the computing device to:

generate a test model based on test cases and test case dependencies, wherein the generating the test model comprises;

determining whether use case dependency information is available by examining at least one of stored and imported use case data;

when the use case dependency information is available, automatically deriving the test case dependencies from traceability between the test cases and the use case dependency information, the test cases are defined in a micro plan as tasks that are performed in association with a particular use case, and as such are linked to the particular use case;

enhancing the test case dependencies with trigger information, wherein the enhancing comprises identifying a trigger associated with each of the test cases, and associating the trigger with the test case dependencies derived from the traceability between the test cases and the use cases;

identifying at least one test group constraint for a test; and

generating the test model based on the enhanced test case dependencies and the at least one test group constraint,

generate a resource base defining attributes associated with testers;

generate a cost model comprising the at least one constraint; and

generate a resource plan based on the test model, the resource base, and the cost model.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the program code further causes the computing device to dynamically update the resource plan in response to a change of the at least one constraint.

24. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein:

the resource plan comprises an allocation of the testers to the test cases; and

the allocation of the testers satisfies the test case dependencies, satisfies the at least one constraint, and minimizes a total cost defined by the cost model.

25. A computer system for creating a dynamically adjustable resource model for test planning, the system comprising:

a processor, a computer readable memory, and a computer readable storage media;

first program instructions to generate a test model based on test cases and test case dependencies, wherein the generating the test model comprises;

determining whether use case dependency information is available by examining at least one of stored and imported use case data;

when the use case dependency information is available, automatically deriving the test case dependencies from traceability between the test cases and the use case dependency information, the test cases are defined in a micro plan as tasks that are performed in association with a particular use case, and as such are linked to the particular use case;

when the use case dependency information is not available, prompting a user to input the test case dependencies;

enhancing the test case dependencies with trigger information, wherein the enhancing comprises identifying a trigger associated with each of the test cases, and associating the trigger with the test case dependencies derived from the traceability between the test cases and the use cases;

identifying at least one constraint for a test; and

generating the test model based on the enhanced test case dependencies and the at least one constraint,

second program instructions to generate a resource base defining attributes associated with testers;

third program instructions to generate a cost model comprising the at least one constraint; and

fourth program instructions to generate a resource plan based on the test model, the resource base, and the cost model,

wherein the first, second, third, and fourth program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage media for execution by the processor via the computer readable memory.

26. The computer system of claim 25, wherein:

the resource plan comprises an allocation of the testers to the test cases; and

the allocation of the testers satisfies the test case dependencies, satisfies the at least one constraint, and minimizes a total cost defined by the cost model.