Towards integration of use case modelling and usage-based testing

This paper focuses on usage modelling as a basis for both requirements engineering (RE) and testing, and investigates the possibility of integrating the two disciplines of use case modelling (UCM) and statistical usage testing (SUT). The paper investigates the conceptual framework for each discipline, and discusses how they can be integrated to form a seamless transition from requirements models to test models for reliability certification. Two approaches for such an integration are identified: integration by model transformation and integration by model extension. The integration approaches are illustrated through an example, and advantages as well as disadvantages of each approach are discussed. Based on the fact that the two disciplines have models with common information and similar structure, it is argued that an integration may result in coordination benefits and reduced costs. Several areas of further research are identified. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.