Integration Testing Using Interface Mutations

A criterion for assessing the adequacy of test sets during integration testing is proposed. The criterion is based on a testing technique named Interface Mutation. The technique itself is designed to be scalable with the size of the software under test; the size being measured in the number of subsystems integrated. Using Interface Mutation, a test and development team is able to assess the adequacy of tests incrementally while integrating various subsystems. Also reported are results from a pilot experiment designed to investigate the cost of Interface Mutation compared to that of the traditional mutation testing technique already described in the literature. The pilot experiment was performed with the help of an enhanced version of Proteum.cies) and a grant from the Fulbright Program. He is currently visiting the Software Engineering Research Center at Purdue University. All correspondence regarding this paper may be sent to Jos e Maldonado. Data not reported here may also be obtained by communicating at the above listed address.