“If you don’t like testing your product, most likely your customers won’t like to test it either.”

Do you have situations when you have too many things on your head, to be done instantly and in parallel? The same is the case in any software testing solutions project, where there are numerous occurrences of a set of parallel activities to be executed by multiple users in divided geographies, with a multitude of devices and infrastructure. That is where lies the entire crux of software testing and especially one of the most important ingredients of testing – Performance Testing. In order to avoid any hurdle or disturbance in the implementation of software projects, the importance of Performance testing has been rising steeply and continues to be of prime importance. Of course, it does have its own set of challenges to face but with certain pre-defined checklists, smooth and robust testing can be achieved which directly would impact the business growth.

In order to achieve a high speed, scalable, fault-free, and stable system, Performance testing needs to be performed much in advance, since for any software, an early head start surely pays off. In order to check the behavior and response of the system under varied conditions, there has to be a certain stringent set of rules and checklists that should be followed for a smooth test run.

Ask these Questions before Performance Testing Commences

• Which are the types of Performance Testing needed?

While Software testing, there could be various categories as depicted in the above graphic – Load, Stress, Volume, Scalability, etc. but depending upon the organizational requirements and spread, there are chances of having more parameters to be tested or with their own variations. Hence, knowing what exactly to test and how is highly crucial before the testing commences, with a mutual understanding with the client.

• What is the solution coverage that needs Performance Testing?

Based on customer responses, it is vital to know which of the modules and sub-modules need Performance Testing instead of blindly taking up the entire system, which will be highly cumbersome and may not yield the desired result. For e.g., the login page, the home page, loading of screens and multiple screen transactions, etc. could be ideal candidates for performance testing.

• What number of concurrent users is anticipated at the maximum?

A very important parameter for Performance Testing – knowing the number of concurrent users turns out highly useful in finding out the various scenarios when different numbers of users attempt to use the solution at the same time.

Major Categories of Checklists for Performance Testing

As the solution provider changes, so does the checklist criterion. But, on a fundamental note, there are certain things that remain the same and don’t change at all. What you gain out of the maintenance of these checklists is:

• Identification of a variety of relevant metrics which are applicable before testing
• Find out required tasks to finish while planning for testing
• Pinpoint vital technologies that are going to affect your performance testing

Here are a few sample checklists that could be utilized prior to performance testing and this is highly critical:

Checklist related to Performance Test Environment

• Is there a proper testing setup?
• Is there sufficient data available for testing?
• Will there be virtual users?
• Is there sufficient documentation?
• Is version controlling being followed properly?
• Are all relevant tools and supporting tools available for testing?
• Are the tools costly including the licensing costs?
• Do all network components in production exist in test?
• Is the architecture of the test site the same as production?

Checklist related to Performance Timelines

• When will the application be equipped for performance testing?
• How much time is available for performance testing?
• How many iterations of testing will take place?

Checklist related to People and Processes

• Why, How, and what to do Performance Testing?
• What needs to be measured and how?
• What are the failures thought of?
• What is the pass / fail timelines pre-decided?
• What is the frequency of performing the tests?
• What is the budget available and who is responsible to maintain that?
• What is the tool’s availability and how flexible are they?
• Is there a team readily available having a proper mix of team leaders?
• What are your resources going to cost?

It is impossible to jot down all possible parameters of an array of checklists for any performance testing setup but this was just a quick view of the most commonly used lists which are surely a need before your testing starts.

SPEC QA offers independent QA and Testing Services across the complete software release lifecycle. We guarantee a process-driven approach in all our quality assurance practices and software testing services.

Our Software Testing Solutions make certain an accurate blend of Manual and Automated Testing and provide support through the Testing Life Cycle. As a Mobile Software Testing Company in India, we possess skilled resources in Automated Testing tools like Selendroid, Selenium, Appium, Robotium, Quick Time Pro, etc., and Performance tools like JMeter, hp Loadrunner, BlazeMeter, etc. which help in simulating scenarios and performing continuous routine mundane tests.

With a stringent focus on quality and processes, we have been implementing several testing projects in a multitude of technologies. Request for a Free POC to test-drive our services.