Automating Testing with LabVIEW: A Requirements-Driven Approach

Due to safety and performance requirements, lithium-ion cell testing is critical in aerospace applications. Manual testing methods are error-prone and inefficient, leading to inconsistent results and poor traceability. This paper presents a requirements-driven methodology for automating Li-ion charger testing using LabVIEW. The approach utilizes the IEC/ISO/IEEE 29148-2018 writing requirements syntax to assist the software design, improving maintainability and reducing technical debt. A case study illustrates the development of an automated system for capturing charging curves, linking each code section to specific requirements. The solution improved debugging, documentation, and test coverage while reducing misunderstandings of informal specifications. Although direct performance comparisons are limited, automation allowed operators to focus on parallel tasks, enhancing man-hour efficiency. Results show that requirements traceability improved code clarity and streamlined communication between stakeholders. This structured method can be applied to other graphical programming environments where test coverage, maintainability, and resource optimization are essential.