pict-test-designer

Describe your system's parameters, values, and business rules, and the Skill identifies test parameters, builds a PICT model with constraints, and outputs test cases with expected results. Pairwise generation typically reduces combinations by 80-99% while covering all two-way interactions.

PICT (Pairwise Independent Combinatorial Testing) is a Microsoft-developed method that generates test cases covering all pairs of parameter values instead of all combinations. For example, 8 parameters with 25,920 exhaustive combinations can be covered by about 31 pairwise test cases.

Save the generated model to a text file and use online tools like pairwise.yuuniworks.com, or install Microsoft PICT locally and run it against the file. The optional pict_helper.py script can also generate models from JSON config and format output as markdown.

Yes, the Skill writes PICT constraint syntax such as IF [Parameter] = "Value" THEN [Other] <> "Value" to eliminate invalid combinations. Constraints support operators like =, <>, IN, AND, OR, and NOT for modeling business rules and dependencies.

Empty output usually means constraints are over-restrictive or contain syntax errors. Verify each constraint ends with a semicolon, parameter names in brackets match definitions exactly, and rules do not contradict each other.

Pairwise testing may miss defects caused by three or more parameters interacting simultaneously. For safety-critical paths, consider higher-order (3-way or 4-way) combinations or supplement pairwise suites with targeted scenario tests.