Application of the perspective-based reading technique in the nuclear I&C context. CORSICA work report 2011

Inspections and reviews are one of the most effective ways of detecting errors in software development. The methods are also cost-effective because defects can be spotted early in the development, and thus the cost of repairing the defects is lower. Reading techniques are the procedures that are used in the inspection or review of a software artefact. The most common procedures are simple ad-hoc reading and a checklist-based reading technique. However, more advanced and detailed procedures have been created for various purposes. This report reviews the state-of-the-art software reading techniques used in inspections and reviews, and briefly reviews some of the empirical research in this context. The majority of the empirical research results indicate that, for example, perspective-based reading is more cost-effective and can detect more defects than more basic reading techniques. This report also describes how perspective-based reading can be applied to the inspection of nuclear-domain requirement specifications. For this purpose, seven perspective-based reading scenarios have been created.