US 2008/0189094 A1 · Systematic Compliance Checking of a Process

Abstract

Methods and systems are presented for generation of a test suite in order to validate compliance of a process with its process specification. The methodology involves a formal description of the process using a flowchart, refinement of the flowchart to include misinterpretations of the process specification, defining compliance coverage models over the flowchart, and automatically generating test case scenarios that cover the models. Internal and external types of misinterpretation are distinguished. A compliance test suite is automatically generated and observations made of the details of the traversal through the flow chart when the tests are executed.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for validating compliance of an implementation of a process with a specification of said process, comprising the steps of:

modeling said process as a directed acyclic graph having nodes and edges that connect said nodes, wherein said nodes represent stages of said process, and said edges represent transitions between said stages;
defining a coverage model for said graph that includes correct traversal paths and erroneous traversal paths therein;
defining a set of test cases for said implementation according to said coverage model;
executing said implementation using said set of test cases;
observing that one of said erroneous traversal paths was followed in said step of executing;
and
responsively to said step of observing, concluding that said implementation comprises a misinterpretation of said specification.

4 more elements

A computer software product for validating compliance of an implementation of a process with a specification of said process, including a tangible computer-readable medium in which computer program instructions are stored, which instructions, when read by a computer, cause the computer to:

model said process as a directed acyclic graph having nodes and edges that connect said nodes, wherein said nodes represent stages of said process, and said edges represent transitions between said stages;
define a coverage model for said graph that includes correct traversal paths and erroneous traversal paths therein;
define a set of test cases for said implementation according to said coverage model;
execute said implementation using said set of test cases;
and
responsively to an observation that one of said erroneous traversal paths was followed in an execution of said implementation conclude that said implementation comprises a misinterpretation of said specification.

3 more elements

A system for validating compliance of an implementation of a process with a specification of said process, comprising:

a processor;
a memory, accessible to said processor;
said processor executing programs that are stored in said memory, said processor operative to:
model said process as a directed acyclic graph having nodes and edges that connect said nodes, wherein said nodes represent stages of said process, and said edges represent transitions between said stages;
define a coverage model for said graph that includes correct traversal paths and erroneous traversal paths therein;
define a set of test cases for said implementation according to said coverage model;
execute said implementation using said set of test cases;
and
responsively to an observation that one of said erroneous traversal paths was followed in an execution of said implementation conclude that said implementation comprises a misinterpretation of said specification.

6 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Systematic Compliance Checking of a Process

Life of this patent

Systematic Compliance Checking of a Process

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20