System Testing
Need to complete information management system testing and want practical suggestions to ensure rapid project delivery?
What is quality assurance
testing?
The
objectives of the quality assurance testing phase is to ensure that all
software components meet requirements and are ready to transition to
production.
What is a test plan?
A plan is a communications tool, which clearly sets testing expectations for all team members. The plan
should identify:
- Test
strategy;
- Test
plan;
- Test
data
strategy;
- Test
deliverables;
- Resource
plan;
- Training
considerations; and
- Test
schedule.
What is system testing?
This test examines sub systems that comprise an information management solution.
It is generally performed in a development environment by senior
members of the development team and can include the following
sub-components
- Data movement software;
- Data conversion software;
- Data cleansing routines;
- Data base development data definition language (DDL);
- Data manipulation language (DML); and
- Business intelligence and reporting software components.
Best practices
 Should focus on testing a set
of
components to ensure
that it performs to specification.
Should be performed by a senior
developer or lead developer in a separate development test or
integration test environment.
Errors, or defects, should be
documented, classified by severity,
and monitored by the defect management process to ensure timely
resolution.
Testing Procedures
Review design specifications with designer.
Prepare test plan and identify:
- Test objectives;
- Methodology that will be used;
- Conditions that impact the test;
- How tests will progress from one test to the next;
- Expected test results;
- Test constraints; and
- Test acceptance criteria e.g. what determines
a successful test.
Create test data and document expected
test results.
Create the test environment.
Create test data.
Document expected results.
Move test data to the test
environment.
Migrate code to test
environment.
Back-up test environment.
Execute work streams that comprise the test.
Validate test results. If issues are
discovered:
- Notify developer;
- Fix code;
- Update test data and test results if needed;
- Place test data and test results in project
documentation repository.
- Check code into code repository.
- Restore test environment and test data;
- Re-migrate corrected code to test environment;
- Execute work streams that comprise the test;
and
- Confirm that tests achieve test
objectives.
Document test results.
Place test data and test
results in project documentation repository.
Check code into code repository (If
needed)
Testing strategies
Should focus on testing a set
of
components to ensure
that it performs to specification.
Should be performed by a senior
developer or lead developer in a system test or
integration test environment.
Summary...
System
testing is generally conducted by the development team under direction
of the lead developer. This critical test should focus on testing a set
of sub-components to ensure that they meet specification.
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