To enhance the cost effectiveness of regression testing, this paper proposes a method for prioritizing test cases. In general, a test case can be evaluated from various different points of view, therefore whether it is worth it to re-run should be discussed using multi criteria. This paper shows that the Mahalanobis-Taguchi (MT) method is a useful way to successfully integrate different evaluations of a test case. Moreover, this paper proposes to use the 0-1 programming method together with the MT method in order to take into account not only the priority of a test case but also its cost to run. The empirical study with 300 test cases for an industrial software system shows that the combination of the MT method and the 0-1 programming method is more cost-effective than other conventional methods.

SUMMARY For the effective promotion of software process improvement (SPI) activities in a large organization, it is necessary to establish an organizational structure and a deployment method for promotion and to develop training courses, support tools, and other materials. Even if an organizational promotion system is established, the SPI activities of each development department cannot be promoted effectively without an SPI community. To promote SPI activities throughout Toshiba Group, we organized a Corporate Software Engineering Process Group in April 2000. We also proposed an SPI framework. This framework extracts the features of organizations in which improvement activities were successful in the 1990s and combines them systematically. For over 10 years, we have been constructing Toshiba's SPI framework based on the SPI framework that we proposed and promoting process improvement activities using it. As a result, maturity levels were improved in many development departments, and the applicability of the SPI framework has been confirmed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This paper reports an application of the 0-1 programming model to the regression testing plan for an industrial software. The key idea is to formulate a testing plan as a 0-1 programming problem (Knapsack problem). The empirical study shows that the 0-1 programming method can produce a cost-effective testing plan in which all potential regressions are found at only 22% of the cost of running all test cases.

In designing scenario tests, it is difficult to suppose how the target software will be used. We regard a scenario test as testing a flow of multiple functions. And we propose a method to design scenario tests by combining single function tests in a structured way. In our method, a single-function test consists of one trigger and some conditions. In this way, the single-function tests are easily combined for designing scenario tests. Our method can generate single-function tests for each function and scenario tests in a systematic manner at low cost.

For the effective promotion of software process improvement (SPI) activities in a large-scale organization, it is necessary to establish an organizational structure and a deployment method for promotion and to develop training courses, support tools, and other materials. Even if an organizational promotion system is established, the SPI activities of each development department cannot be promoted effectively without SPI community. To promote SPI activities throughout the TOSHIBA group, we organized a Corporate Software Engineering Process Group in April 2000. We also have been focused to establish SPI community, while promoting SPI activities in each development department. The fundamental our operating policy of SPI is "bottom-up". This paper discusses the problems encountered in the promotion of SPI activities and presents solutions to the problems. The actual results obtained show that the framework and solutions developed by us can be used to effectively promote SPI activities.

It is very important to improve software quality using program analysis and measurement tools and the SQA (Software Quality Assurance) method at the appropriate points during the process of development. In many development departments, there is often not enough time to evaluate and use the tools and the SQA method or to accumulate the know-how for effective use. This paper describes the support activity of a software quality analysis and measurement service which is performed by our laboratory team within the company as a third-party independent staff group. We call this activity HQC (High Quality software creation support virtual Center). The purpose of this activity is as follows. First we improve the software quality engineering process in the development department, for example, we help them to increase efficiency of review or testing. To accomplish this, we use program static analysis tools to detect fault-prone software components. Next we assist in starting their own self-improvement process. In addition, we provide service activity to many development departments concurrently. We have been making progress with these activities, and some development departments have begun to establish improvement processes themselves.