System Test Point - A New Metric in Software Quality Testing

This paper proposes System Test Point (STP), a new metric for estimating system test effort. The proposed Metric encompasses various attributes, which affect testing effort and can be tailored to a specific project environment. A survey was conducted for expert ratings on the 12 identified attributes, which affect system testing. A Software package "RISK 4.0" was used to find the correlation between the identified attributes and system test effort. Positive results were observed on applying STP for a project. System test point is a useful Metric for Test Managers and Project Managers, which aids in precise estimation of effort. This paper addresses the interests of Metric group, Software managers and Test Managers of the software organization who are interested in estimating system test effort. The proposed framework allows the organization or the project managers to evaluate System Test points by varying the weightage as required by the change in project environment.