Modeling reliability growth during non-representative testing

A reliability growth model is presented that permits prediction of operational reliability without requiring that testing be conducted according to the operation profile of the program input space. Compared to prior growth models, this one shifts the observed random variable from interfailure time to a post-mortem analysis of the debugged faults, using order statistics to combine the observed failure rates of faults no matter how those faults were detected. The primary advantages of this model are: the flexibility it offers to test planners, as the choice of testing method is no longer solely determined by the desire to predict operational reliability, and more robust experimental designs can be formulated by taking advantage of a wider variety of options for data collection.