Systematic Literature Review on Test Case Selection and Prioritization: A Tertiary Study

Abstract

Software testing is undertaken to ensure that the software meets the expected requirements. The intention is to find bugs, errors, or defects in the developed software so that they can be fixed before deployment. Testing of the software is needed even after it is deployed. Regression testing is an inevitable part of software development, and must be accomplished in the maintenance phase of software development to ensure software reliability. The existing literature presents a large amount of relevant knowledge about the types of techniques and approaches used in regression test case selection and prioritization (TCS&P), comparisons of techniques used in TCS&P, and the data used. Numerous secondary studies (surveys or reviews) have been conducted in the area of TCS&P. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive examination of the analysis of the enhancements in TCS&P using a thorough systematic literature review (SLR) of the existing secondary studies. This SLR provides: (1) a collection of all the valuable secondary studies (and their qualitative analysis); (2) a thorough analysis of the publications and the trends of the secondary studies; (3) a classification of the various approaches used in the secondary studies; (4) insight into the specializations and range of years covered in the secondary texts; (5) a comprehensive list of statistical tests and tools used in the area; (6) insight into the quality of the secondary studies based on the seven selected Research Paper Quality parameters; (7) the common problems and challenges encountered by researchers; (8) common gaps and limitations of the studies; and (9) the probable prospects for research in the field of TCS&P.

Keywords

• systematic literature review (SLR)
• software testing and reliability
• secondary studies
• test case selection
• test case prioritization
• software testing