Hexawise includes an array of sample plans when a new user account is created. These provide concrete examples of how to categorize items when creating a combinatorial test plans (also called pairwise test plans, orthogonal array test plans, etc.). Once you [sign in to your Hexawise account](http://hexawise.com/ (or setup a new, free, account) looking at this [sample test plan](https://app.hexawise.com/share/HT3UG7M8 (which is similar to the situation raised in the question that follows), might be useful.

Within your Hexawise account you can copy the sample test plans that you are provided with and then make adjustments to them. This lets you quickly see what effects changes you make have on real test plans. And it also lets you see how easy it is to adjust as changes in priorities are made, or gaps are found in the existing test plan.

A Hexawise user sent us the following question.

What is the recommended approach to configuring parameter with one or more values?

I have two parameters which are related.

If Parameter 1 = Yes, Parameter 2 allows the user to select one or more values out of a list of 25 - most of which are not equivalent.

For Parameter 2, is the recommended approach to handle this to create separate parameters each with a yes/no value? i.e. create one parameter for each non-equivalent value, and one parameter for the equivalent values. Then link each of these as a married pair to Parameter 1.

I'm open to suggestions as to alternatives.

Here's the screen in question. Parameter 1 = "Pilot", Parameter 2 = checkboxes for types of plans.

Great question.

I would recommend that you use different parameters for each option (e.g., "Scheduled Commercial" as a parameter with "Selected, Not Selected" as your Values associated with it).

Also, I'd recommend following these 3 strategies to maximize the effectiveness of your tests.

First, consider using adjusted weightings. You may find it useful to weight certain values multiple times, e.g., have 4 values such as "Select, Do Not Select, Do Not Select, Do Not Select" to create 3 times as many tests with "Do Not Select" as "Select."

Second, use the MECE principle. The MECE principles states you should define your Values in a way that makes each of them "Mutually Exclusive" from the others in the list (no subsets should represent any other subsets, no overlaps) and "Collectively Exhaustive" as a group (the set of all subsets, taken together, should fully encompass all items, no gaps)

Third, avoid "ands" in your value names. As a general rule it is unwise to define values like "Old and Male" or "Young and Female", etc. A better strategy is to break those ideas into two separate Parameters, like so:

First Parameter = "Age" --- Values for "Age" = Old / Young

Second Parameter = "Gender" --- Values for "Gender" = "Male / Female"

Related: Efficient and Effective Test Design - Context-Driven Usability Considerations, and Wireframing - Why isn't Software Testing Performed as Efficiently and Effecively as it could be?