Automated Software Regression Test

A household electronics manufacturer requests a system to automatically test software through a system of cameras, pneumatics, and electronic stimulus and measurements.

The device under test was a home electronics control panel designed for sprinklers, lights, and other landscape features in the backyard. The hardware and software was rather sophisticated and could potentially carry a great deal of hardware and software bugs to test. The design team had done a good job identifying all the potential test cases that a user might want to do, and testing them would take weeks for each new software update. The concern that a new software fix might actually break a previous set of features was a major focus.

Performing the test cases would include starting the system, pressing certain menu buttons and following on-screen prompts, working through menus and making selections, changing values, and even making disallowed choices and predicted mistakes. The software had to be able to handle over 1800 requirements.