Evaluation of debug-testing efficiency by duplication of the detected fault and delay time of repair.

Testing and debugging remove faults from software and ensure its reliable operation. In software developments, enormous resources are spent on testing and debugging, and the efficiencies of them are important factors when we consider software development cost. However, testing methods have been evaluated mainly on effectiveness, such as a coverage of source codes, and efficiencies of the methods have not been evaluated and no applicable criterion exists. In this paper, we firstly indicate the criterion of testing effect and efficiencies with search theory, we define the efficiency ratio of testing by duplication of the detected fault, and we define the efficiency ratio of debugging by delay time of repair. Then we evaluate actual efficiency ratio using the criterion and case data. This evaluation method considers testing and debugging as search processes and visualizes the search structure of software. As a result of analysis, it has been indicated that testing and debugging efficiencies is determined by duplication of search path on search structure, and it is possible to make extensive improvements of testing and debugging efficiencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]