Traceability matrix for regression testing in distributed software development

Abstract

Distributed software development is a process that is done across many business worksites or locations. Geographically distributed teams and cross-platform functionalities complicated the process of quality management. Software quality is essential to business success. One of the main issues distributed teams face is change management. For large changes, retesting the entire system is complex. So an automated regression testing technique is a must in distributed system. Thus identifying proper test cases is essential in regression testing. In this paper we propose a new method to find out essential test cases using traceability matrix. Traceability matrix correlates both user requirements and functional requirements with test cases of the system. By analyzing the traceability matrix we can ensure that we have covered all the required functionalities of the system. It also ensures that all the modification done to the system is tackled. It leads to the forward as well as backward traceability of the system. Our approach is an effective method to avoid redundant test cases for regression testing. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.