The Impact of Acceptance Tests on Analyzing Component-Based Systems Specifications: An Experimental Evaluation

A Component Based System (CBS) is integration centric with a focus on selecting individual components that match stakeholder requirements. In reality, components are usually designed for general purposes and finding the ideal one is often very difficult. Fundamental to CBS success is the ability to minimize the mismatch between stakeholder expectations and functionality provided by available components. Recent research indicates that the Framework for Integrated Test (Fit), a test driven development, helps to better understand customer requirements. This paper presents an initial study to investigate the potential use of acceptance tests (Fit tables) during the component selection process. The analysis shows that Fit tables help improve the component selection phase of a CBS development life cycle.