Performance Testing Software Systems
Principles of Performance Testing
For Managers and ExecutivesOverview:
Performance Testing as an activity is widely misunderstood, especially by managers and executives. This misunderstanding can lead to a variety of difficulties -- including outright project failure. Managers and executives do not need to understand the technical details of performance testing to make good decisions or effectively manage performance testing projects. They do need to understand what performance testing is, what it is not and what value it adds. Learning, understanding, and applying the nuggets of knowledge in this presentation to your performance testing projects will improve your chances for success.
This unique workshop introduces a heuristic approach to Performance Testing Software Systems that focuses on mitigating risks to the business and satisfying end users in commercially driven software development environments. This approach marries the software testing insights of James Bach, Rob Sabourin, Cem Kaner and many other members of the Context-Driven School of software testing with the performance testing insights of Alberto Savoia, Ross Collard, Roland Stens, and the rest of the WOPR (Workshop On Performance and Reliability) community. The approach has a track record of success with regard to adequately mitigating business risk in time to keep pace with the commercial aspects of the project. The Microsoft patterns & practices book Performance Testing Guidance for Web Applications by J.D. Meier, Scott Barber, Carlos Farre, Prashant Bansode, and Dennis Rea complements the material presented in this workshop.
Because this version of the PTSS series of workshops is targeted for managers and executives, it focuses on how Performance Testing can help achieve buisiness objectives, reduce project risk, and avoid bad press. Further, it contains enough information to enable you to better interact with your performance testers, better manage them, and better recognize when they are hiding behind the numbers. Finally, this workshop provides you with the knowledge you need to make informed business decisions based on the information your performance testers are (or should be) presenting you with.
This 1-day workshop is primarily offered as an on-site course, but sometimes we work with organizations that arrange to make it public. Contact us for more information.
Course Objectives:
In this course, you will learn:
- Nine core principles found in most successful performance testing projects
- How to communicate the application performance aspects of your buisiness objectives
- How to apply the core principles into your team’s development process
- How to plan ahead without reducing your ability to react to change
- How to determine and apply oracles to software system performance criteria
Course Outline:
Nine core principles of successful performance testing:
CORE PRINCIPLE: Context
- Why Do We Test Performance?
- Criteria
- Objectives
- Procedures
- Environments
- Project
- User
- Business
- Systems
- Know The Commanders Intent
CORE PRINCIPLE:Criteria
- Relating Business Objectives to Performance Testing Projects
- Goals
- Requirements
- Thresholds
- Constraints
- Determine Testing Objectives
CORE PRINCIPLES: Design, Instrument, & Script
Design:- Overview
- What To Test
- Under What Conditions
- Communicating Design
- Overview
- Test Environment
- Load Generation Environment
- People
- Process
- Attitudes
- Overview
- Challenges
- How You Can Help
CORE PRINCIPLES: Execute & Analyze
Execute:
- Overview
- What Is A Performance Test?
- A Collaborative, Cross Functional Process
- Who Leads When
- Overview
- A Collaborative, Cross Functional Process
- Follow-on Testing
- Feeds Re-Design
CORE PRINCIPLE: Report
Concepts
- Overview
- Mathematic and Statistical Principles
- You Set The Degree of Formality
Demand performance reports that:
- Timely
- Relevant to Business Objectives
- Audience Appropriate
- Visual
- Intuitive
- Supported
CORE PRINCIPLE: Iterate
- Don’t Confuse “Delivery” with “Done”
Keynotes by: Tim Lister & Cem Kaner
Tutorials by: Fiona Charles, Harry Robinson, & Cem Kaner
"I tend to rotate conferences from year to year. I've found that most have their own personalities that are slow to change. CAST is different. I always find it progressive and enlightening. It is the one conference I look forward to attending every year."
