Common Performance Testing Errors

Undefined goalsLoad testing becomes guesswork without measurable and clearly defined testing goals. In order to accurately align with business goals and requirements, the objectives for load testing must be defined before running tests. The testing goals, as mentioned should have relevance to the needs stated by the client.

No Realistic Test Environment

Without investing time and effort into building an environment that mirrors the actual production setting, load testing could throw up inaccurate results. There are innumerable components in a real production setting, which run intermittently such as databases, servers, tools, integrations, hardware, and many more – and without a realistic setting, all the efforts could prove futile.

Incorrect Time of TestingIt is a grave mistake to run performance testing at the end of the development cycle – it should be a part of the functional testing cycle. In most cases, the continuous integration system would have automated tests within, and hence it is possible run automated performance testing before the entire application becomes available.

Skimping to Rush Results While building load testing scenarios, most testers are tempted to compromise on time and quality. This can prove disastrous and throw up skewed load testing results. Even in the face of constraints – time, budget, and other resources, it is essential to ensure a thorough job of testing. If it requires an X number of users to test the system, it would be hazardous to use a lower number. Data randomization is another common error, which lesser skilled and less experienced testers and developers usually make.

Beginning with a Large LoadWhile load testing is meant to mimic the number of users in a realistic environment, highly skilled testers will avoid starting the tests with a final load in mind. Isolating bugs and errors becomes impossible with a large load, and testers must instead create a testing environment which grows gradually, allowing detailed monitoring for bugs at every stage.

Overlooking System ErrorsThe main focus of load testing is response time and performance measurement. It is necessary for testers to pick up and pay attention to errors such as incorrect data and strange ‘behavior’ of the system, even with good response times. This would help to identify the load related weaknesses in the system.

Forgetting to Document Test ResultsRunning and re-running load testing will not be accurate without comparing the results from each run. While it may seem laborious to track changes in each of the test runs, documenting the issues, settings of test environments and system under test, the objectives of each setting, and the results and inferences of each test run, is absolutely critical for top quality software. A good QA company with top class team will ensure that results are meticulously and accurately documented.

Any process is bound to have errors, and in the performance testing process too errors are commonplace. In addition, avoiding these mistakes may not guarantee a glitch free user experience each time, but understanding them and going the extra mile to rid the system of bugs will give your business the extra edge required to remain competitive. Connect with us to deliver top class user experiences, consistently.