Cause-effect Graphing Technique: A Survey of Available Approaches and Algorithms

Cause-effect graphs are often used as a method for deriving test case suites for black-box testing different types of systems. This paper represents a survey focusing entirely on the cause-effect graphing technique. A comparison of different available algorithms for converting cause-effect graph specifications to test case suites and problems which may arise when using different approaches are explained. Different types of graphical notation for describing nodes, logical relations and constraints used when creating cause-effect graph specifications are also discussed. An overview of available tools for creating cause-effect graph specifications and deriving test case suites is given. The systematic approach in this paper is meant to offer aid to domain experts and end users in choosing the most appropriate algorithm and, optionally, available software tools, for deriving test case suites in accordance to specific system priorities. A presentation of proposed graphical notation types should help in gaining a better level of understanding of the notation used for specifying cause-effect graphs. In this way, the most common mistakes in the usage of graphical notation while creating cause-effect graph specifications can be avoided.