Building a Performance Test Strategy from Scratch
In the fast-paced world of IT projects, having a robust Performance Testing strategy is not just a luxury—it's a necessity. Imagine launching a new application only to see it crumble under the weight of real-world usage. To avoid such pitfalls, having a clear vision and a well-defined methodology is crucial before embarking. This guide will walk you through the essential considerations for building a Performance Testing strategy that ensures your system can handle the demands of its users.
Non-Functional Requirements
In theory, requirements should drive much of the approach as they set out the design approach and project expectations. I have previously written about their importance here. Examples of how requirements could shape strategy:
⚙️N+1 Redundancy - this would shape how the environment needs to be built and/or configured during testing
⚙️Data Retention Policy - This could shape how much “background” data is required during testing
Wider Testing Strategy
Of course, applying a specialist's knowledge to the unique challenges of Performance Testing is essential. However, it is also necessary to be aware of the broader approach to testing and align with this. This could impact tooling selection, reporting, environments, and all elements of the methodology.
Tool Selection
Selecting the right Performance Testing tool for the job is a crucial element of the strategy. I have written about this previously here. You may also need additional software, such as access to the Cloud Portal or Defect tracking and resource monitoring tools.
Environments
A suitable environment must be used to provide valuable results that will reflect real-world behaviour. Other considerations around the Environment could be;
➕Shared components other applications use (understanding any co-existing/integration issues).
➕External components that may require “mocking”.
➕Technical challenges such as dealing with Multi-Factor Authentication.
➕Network access
➕Provision and location of Load Injection agents.
Scenarios
You need to design scenarios that will reflect real-world usage. I would divide this into user journeys/processes and test scenarios.
In terms of user journeys, this would reflect what a user does with your system. For example, in a Share-Dealing system, this might be something like “Buy Shares,” “Sell Shares,” or “Edit Charts.” All those key elements will need to be reflected in your load-testing scripts. These elements should be backed by volumetrics that indicate the load level they impart on the system.
Test scenarios would cover the types of testing you will include; the classic examples would be;
✔Peak Load Test—Typically, this test covers the system's peak hour and represents a realistic “worst case.”
✔Stress Test - Continually ramping up the system until a breakpoint
✔Soak Test - Running the test for a prolonged period, for example, a whole working day or more.
These tests cover a surprisingly large number of cases and are a decent starting point. However, depending on your project, you must cover specific variants. You may also want to consider:
✔What scope can be integrated into CI/CD pipelines.
✔Resilience and failover scenarios within this test phase.
Data
The specifics of this will vary greatly, but ensure you have realistic and comprehensive test data. This helps in accurately simulating real-world conditions and identifying potential performance issues.
Key Metrics
Determine the metrics that will be used to measure performance. At a high level, these will include
📚Response times
📚Throughput
📚Resource utilization
Continuous Monitoring and Improvement
How will the system be monitored during Performance Testing and in production? How will alerting be configured? Is specialist knowledge and support required and/or available to tune elements during load testing? If issues are found during testing, how will they be managed?
Reporting
How are other team members kept aware and involved during testing, and what outputs will be produced? How many successful testing rounds are required to validate success, and who signs off on the results?
Conclusion
Every project is unique, but specific considerations are valid in most cases. This guide isn’t comprehensive, but I hope it gives you enough reminders and questions to be useful if creating a new Performance Testing strategy.