Generate Test Cases from Activity diagrams

[Fredrik Cronholm]

Hi!
We're a small company (with EA newbies) who use EA to store UC and activity diagrams. We would now like to store test cases also in EA.
Is there a way to generate tests from activity diagrams in EA?
We have draw the activity diagrams direct, we have not done a structured scenarios and then generated activity diagrams.

[sargasso]

Is there a way to generate tests from activity diagrams in EA?

Yes, print them and the use cases too, and give them to a reasonably good tester to use as scribbling paper while s/he designs the test cases.

Seriously, if it was that easy there would be no need to test, eh?
Or are we just tryin' to fill the filin' cabinet for the auditors?  

b

[Fredrik Cronholm]

We simply think it could be a quick way to get a basic coverage of the functionality. Since the structure already is there it is a shame not to reuse it..?

[Kevin G. Watson]

hey.... print them out!!! he means give the testers tablet pc's or iPads ;-) save the rain forest in that

I think it was in telelogix Tau, that you couold add insert 'scopes' or 'peek holes' onto object flows, and set break points on control flows... then by simulating the activity you could annonate verification points (kinda expected against actual... it was meant to be used as a means to do testing of the model before developers got their hands into the thingie).  It was let down a bit by rather limited tracing, and very C++ oriented.

EA has a third party tool for simulating state charts (something else that EA don't try either).

Kevin [smiley=2vrolijk_08.gif]

[sargasso]

I know it sounded trite, but let me give you a metaphore of why it is not a great deal of use.

Suppose we take the design of a car, that includes an internal bonnet release catch, and the use case "Release Bonnet".  Now the type of testing you are talking about would get two ticks.
1) the car has an internal bonnet release catch
2) it opens the bonnet.

A tester worth his salt will add the test case, "Use internal bonnet release catch while car is traveling at 80km/h".

These test cases are (in my experience) not in the (software) design.  But mark my words, they are the things that those terrors of all software developers, the "users", do.

For example, typically one of the first things I do, to the utter dismay of the usual set of developers, is to start running the system with an entirely empty database.  They keep saying "but the system will fail", and I keep saying, "yes, I expect so, but will it do it <i>nicely</i>?"  Guess what... designers and developers still tend to neglect the use case scenario "there ain't no data"!

Second typical example, "do it twice".  For example, cancel the same booking twice, record the same employee twice, pay the same employee twice, record the same employee timesheet twice, book the same time to the same job for the same employee on the same contract twice.  In over twenty years of testing I have not yet found a system in shakedown mode where we haven't found about half a dozen of these.

(and I've also never tested a system where the developers haven't said " but a normal user wouldn't do that "!    )

b

p.s. I'm thinking of changing my sig to "There is only one consistency - users aren't"

[JCollcu]

We're a small company (with EA newbies) who use EA to store UC and activity diagrams.

 Do you guys work remotely or onsite? How big is your team?
-J

[Paolo F Cantoni]

[size=18]...[/size]
p.s. I'm thinking of changing my sig to "There is only one consistency - users aren't"

The rest of the email contains very wise words (I've been a testing manager in a number of previous lives).

However, the PS comes very close to violating my CCC ^TM

Paolo