Requirements-based design evaluation methodology

This dissertation presents a Requirements Based Design Evaluation (RBDE) methodology for automating the evaluation of partial designs using black-box testing techniques. This methodology enables the evaluation of partial designs early in the design process by using requirements information to provide a context from which useful tests can be generated. The RBDE methodology is enabled by the use of a novel semantic graph data model which maintains the relationships between the design and requirements data. Use of these relationships permits the automated generation of a testset which is systematically applied to simulations of the partial design and its requirements. Two sets of directly comparable results are produced, permitting the evaluation of the design early in the design process. Several examples from the domain of digital computer design are described, illustrating the methodology and its ability to generate evaluation results for partial designs.