Analysis system for test artifact generation

• US 8,935,654 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2012
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Sengupta, Shubhashis, Dwarakanath, Anurag, Ramnani, Roshni R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Don
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rivera, Anibal
• Application Number:
  US13/346,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20120272206A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• US Class Current: 717/101
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3684 for test design, e.g. generating new test cases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3692 for test results analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/205 Parsing

Abstract

A requirements testing system facilitates the review and analysis of requirement statements for software applications. The requirements testing system generates test artifacts from the requirement statements. The test artifacts characterize the requirements statements to provide valuable analysis information that aids understanding whether the requirement statements are testable, what the intentions of the requirement statements are, and other useful analysis information. Because the system generates the analysis information from the requirement statements, the system provides benefits in terms of early feedback along the software application development timeline.

Claims

1. A method for testing a requirement statement, the method comprising:

obtaining a requirement statement and storing the requirement statement in a memory;

submitting the requirement statement to a grammatical parser executed by a processor to obtain parser outputs characterizing the requirement statement;

applying a test artifact ruleset with the processor to the parser outputs to determine a test artifact applicable to the requirement statement;

determining whether the test artifact is testable; and

after determining the test artifact is testable, simplifying the parser outputs in order for determining the test artifact to be a desired test artifact for the requirement statement.

2. The method of claim 1, where applying comprises:

applying an ambiguity ruleset with the processor to the parser outputs to determine a test artifact that indicates whether the requirement statement is ambiguous with respect to testability.

3. The method of claim 1, where applying comprises:

applying an intent ruleset with the processor to the parser outputs to determine a test artifact that indicates an intent characteristic of the requirement statement.

4. The method of claim 1, where applying comprises:

applying a category ruleset with the processor to the parser outputs to determine a test artifact that indicates a category characteristic of the requirement statement.

5. The method of claim 1, where applying comprises:

applying a data ruleset with the processor to the parser outputs to determine a test artifact that indicates a data characteristic of the requirement statement.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

executing a pre-processor on the requirement statement prior to submitting the requirement statement to the grammatical parser.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein simplifying comprises:

invoking a statement simplifier rule.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein invoking comprises:

delimiting a compound sentence.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein invoking comprises:

processing a conditional statement.

10. A requirement statement analysis system comprising:

a processor; and

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory comprising;

a requirement statement;

grammatical parser logic; and

analysis logic operable to, when executed by the processor;

obtain the requirement statement and store the requirement statement in the memory;

submit the requirement statement to the grammatical parser logic and obtain parser outputs characterizing the requirement statement;

apply a test artifact ruleset to the parser outputs to determine a test artifact applicable to the requirement statement;

determine whether the test artifact is testable; and

after determining the test artifact is testable, simplify the parser outputs in order to determine the test artifact to be a desired test artifact for the requirement statement.

11. The analysis system of claim 10, where the test artifact ruleset comprises:

an ambiguity ruleset configured to determine, as the test artifact, whether the requirement statement is ambiguous with regard to testability.

12. The analysis system of claim 10, where the test artifact ruleset comprises:

an intent ruleset configured to determine, as the test artifact, an intent characteristic of the requirement statement.

13. The analysis system of claim 10, where the test artifact ruleset comprises:

a category ruleset configured to determine, as the test artifact, a category characteristic of the requirement statement.

14. The analysis system of claim 10, where the test artifact ruleset comprises:

a data ruleset with the processor to the parser outputs to determine a test artifact that indicates a data characteristic of the requirement statement.

15. The analysis system of claim 10, where the analysis logic is further operable to execute a pre-processor on the requirement statement prior to submitting the requirement statement to the grammatical parser.

16. The analysis system of claim 10, wherein the analysis logic to simplify is further operable to:

invoke a statement simplifier rule.

17. The analysis system of claim 16, wherein the analysis logic to simplify is further operable to:

delimit a compound sentence.

18. The analysis system of claim 16, wherein the analysis logic to simplify is further operable to:

process a conditional statement.