Case study of 100% test coverage

Abstract

Telecommunication software is expected to have a long lifespan during which many developers will add new features, modify existing features, or correct bugs. The software must be understandable, reliable, and maintainable otherwise the additions and modifications will take longer to develop and introduce further errors. Siemens has a software development process, which includes Fagan inspections, module testing, integration testing, internal, and customer field trials. The Quality Plan for a large software development stated that the developed software will be subject to either “100% code reviews and normal levels of testing” or “No code reviews and 100% testing”. This paper tries to determine whether “100% testing with no code reviews” is a viable alternative to “100% code reviews with testing” for commercial software products. It provides a case study of a recently developed application that was subject to “100% testing and no code reviews”. It uses a commercial tool to demonstrate the test coverage.