Transferring Interactive Search-Based Software Testing to Industry
This work addresses the need for validating search-based software testing techniques in real-world industrial contexts, though it is incremental as it builds on prior prototypes and focuses on deployment rather than novel algorithmic advances.
The paper tackled the challenge of transferring Interactive Search-Based Software Testing (ISBST) tools to industry by developing and evaluating a prototype in both laboratory and industrial settings, concluding that the system can evolve useful test cases but requires improvements in user communication.
Search-Based Software Testing (SBST) is the application of optimization algorithms to problems in software testing. In previous work, we have implemented and evaluated Interactive Search-Based Software Testing (ISBST) tool prototypes, with a goal to successfully transfer the technique to industry. While SBSE solutions are often validated on benchmark problems, there is a need to validate them in an operational setting. The present paper discusses the development and deployment of SBST tools for use in industry and reflects on the transfer of these techniques to industry. In addition to previous work discussing the development and validation of an ISBST prototype, a new version of the prototype ISBST system was evaluated in the laboratory and in industry. This evaluation is based on an industrial System under Test (SUT) and was carried out with industrial practitioners. The Technology Transfer Model is used as a framework to describe the progression of the development and evaluation of the ISBST system. The paper presents a synthesis of previous work developing and evaluating the ISBST prototype, as well as presenting an evaluation, in both academia and industry, of that prototype's latest version. This paper presents an overview of the development and deployment of the ISBST system in an industrial setting, using the framework of the Technology Transfer Model. We conclude that the ISBST system is capable of evolving useful test cases for that setting, though improvements in the means the system uses to communicate that information to the user are still required. In addition, a set of lessons learned from the project are listed and discussed. Our objective is to help other researchers that wish to validate search-based systems in industry and provide more information about the benefits and drawbacks of these systems.