An open framework for the specification and execution of a testable requirements model

Bertolino [34] remarks: "The leading idea [in model-based testing] is to use models defined in software construction to drive the testing process, in particular to automatically generate the test cases." In practice, however, we observe that Model-Based Testing (MBT) typically suffers from a gap between such models and the Implementation Under Test (IUT). More precisely, a model contains a specification that must be transformed into test cases that can be executed by a specific IUT. Such transformation is seldom automated and thus the resulting executable test cases may no longer correspond to the ones obtained from the model. Furthermore, current MBT approaches generally compound this problem by not addressing the problem of test case instrumentation, in particular of the ones pertaining to scenario testing. In this work, we present a solution that eliminates both of these problems by automatically bridging from a Testable Requirements Model (TRM) to a concrete implementation.;Through the course of our research we have designed and implemented a Validation Framework (VF) supporting the specification of a TRM using a text-based contract specification language grounded in the notion of responsibilities and scenarios. The VF compiles this requirements model along with a set of bindings that bridge the gap between model and implementation. The result is a model that is directly executed against the IUT, resulting in the production of a contract evaluation report. It is the operation of this framework and its application to the MBT domain that we address in this dissertation: specifically how our VF bridges the gap between a TRM and an IUT allowing for automated validation of the implementation against the model.