A software development process is conceptually an abstract
form of model transformation, starting from an end-user
model of requirements, through to a system model for which
code can be automatically generated. The success (or failure)
of such a transformation depends substantially on obtaining
a correct, well-formed initial model that captures
user concerns.
Model-based testing automates black box testing based
on the model of the system under analysis. This paper proposes
and evaluates a novel model-based testing technique
that aims to reveal specification/requirement-related errors
by generating test cases from a test model and exercising
them on the design model. The case study outlined in the
paper shows that a separate test model not only increases
the level of objectivity of the requirements, but also supports
the validation of the system under test through test case generation.
The results obtained from the case study support
the hypothesis that there may be discrepancies between the
formal specification of the system modeled
and the problem to be solved, and that using solely formal verification
methods may not be sufficient to reveal these. The
approach presented in this paper aims at providing means
to obtain greater confidence in the design model that is used
as the basis for code generation.