REQSPERT: automated test planning from requirements

The development of an automated tool to assist in test planning is described. The tool, REQSPERT, has required the collaboration of several areas of information technology to provide automated assistance in deriving a test plan from the software requirements definition. REQSPERT implements and enhances CASE features by providing assistance for classifying the software requirements and by identifying potential problems. Research on software testing and software metrics is incorporated into the knowledge bases. The work of the US Army on software quality metrics is used in identifying metrics for nonfunctional requirements. An object-oriented development environment has been employed to provide flexibility and extensibility as more is learned about the tool´s potential capabilities. The knowledge base uses production rules and facets in a quasi-blackboard architecture. Principles of direct manipulation interface design are being applied to provide an effective environment for the test analyst who develops the test plan. Knowledge elicitation techniques are being explored to gather the expertise of software testers. The architecture, supporting knowledge bases, and interface design of the tool are presented