ATTEST : an Automated - Test - Tool Evaluation and Selection Technology

A significant part of software testing process improvement effort pertains to defect prevention, software testing technology change management and software testing process change management. ATTEST is an automated-test-tool evaluation and selection technology developed by the School of Computer Science & Software Engineering (CSSE) at Monash University in Australia to help SMEs (smallto medium-sized enterprises) improve their management of software testing technology change. Although ATTEST has software-process-improvementoriented application, it can also be used to help forensic software engineers more easily identify candidate equipment for software-intensive incident and accident investigations. The problem with traditional automated-test-tool (or more generally, computer-aided software engineering (CASE) tools) evaluation and selection techniques is that they provide limited visibility/measurement into the selection (acquisition and/or equipping) of automated-test-tools (or CASE tools). In forensic investigations of software-intensive accidents and incidents, it is important that forensic software engineers correctly identify, measure, and collect the data needed to draw valid conclusions regarding technology adoption. Without an automated-test-tool evaluation and selection process that supports completeness and consistency between evaluations and selections, it becomes difficult for forensic software engineers to justify and evidence their software testing technology change management decisions. While most applications of ATTEST are oriented toward the prevention of software failures (or software-intensive incidents and accidents), we aim to demonstrate that ATTEST also has response-orientated application.