Change-Based Test Management (CBTM) is the union of code coverage and code deltas. Using CBTM helps you to increase the perceived quality of your product by helping you find defects before your customers. Just as critically, CBTM not only helps increase your quality, but if used correctly, it can also reduce your time to market by making your validation cycle more effective. One goal of CBTM is to move from black box testing into glass box testing. Black box testing involves testing without understanding the internals, while glass box testing gives you a better understanding of how the product works.

CBTM uses code coverage and code deltas to increase test effectiveness. The types of coverage vary in degrees of complexity. They range from the simplest form, which is line coverage, to the most complex, which is path coverage. CBTM uses condition/decision coverage because it provides a large degree of confidence without the large number of tests required by path coverage. Code deltas provide all the data necessary to describe a change in the code base. CBTM uses function-level deltas to line up with function level coverage.

Using function level deltas and coverage allows you to crossreference the two against each other and begin making smart decisions about your testing. By making these decisions, you accomplish the five objectives of CBTM:

• Identify holes in the test suite

• Identify and remove redundant tests

• Identify and rework weak tests

• Identify problem areas in the code

• Prioritize tests based on code changes

Completing...