Apply UML in Softare Testing practice
UML – Unified Modeling Language has been around for years, since its inception, it has received mixed feedbacks from both industries and the software development community. It provides a simple, common and graphical representation of software design and implementation. By providing flexible ways to build abstractions across many levels, developers architects and experienced users are able to discuss the details of the softeware product.
While these are all good and happy news from purely software developing point of view, the software testing community has been largely left behind and been abscent as the modeling standard was developed. Accounting sometimes as much as 40% of the total development cost, software testing has became increasingly significant within the modern SDLC. It seems to me that the UML has been developed to mainly accommodate the requirements on the development side of software project. However, because the software testing has evolved into such an integral part of SDLC, it plays a vital role in the entire project delivery cycle, and the fact that UML was born to make building complex software easier, there is really no reason why the UML can’t be extend/used to assist with software testing practice.
For the majority, the benefits of the UML also applies to software testing:
- Standard approach documenting test artifacts.
- Test design can easily be understood.
- Allowing greater tracability.
- Enables ease of maintenance by providing more effective visual representation.
- Provids a vehicle for effective communication and reducing mis-understanding.
For example, a Use Case Diagram is the technique used by Business Analyst and Architects to capture the requirements of a system. Equally such technique can be used by testers to do functional test planning. Sequence and Collabration Diagram show a time-based flow of messages between objects. This technique is really useful in designing test scripts, where the sequence of event flow is very important, as well as the input and response.
