Testing is carried out to find that a system matches the given specifications for best functionality. The overall objective of the testing process is to provide a bug free system, so that there is no failure when the system moves into production environment. As per the industry norms, there are three primary forms of testing conducted by a software development company, these are:
1. Functional Testing: This kind of testing is carried out to check the functionality of a system. It ensures that a system meets it's goals and is done in three parts:
• Unit Testing: In unit testing, individual units and components are tested.
• Integration Testing: When individual components are combined and taken together for testing, it is treated as Integration Testing.
• User Acceptance Testing: User Acceptance testing is carried out to test a system that it is functioning according to the needs of a specified user, for whom it is built.
2. Regression Testing: It ensures that if certain changes will be carried out in system after a point of time, it will work fine. It checks the adaptability of a system for future changes. It is very important for a system to allow changes with time.
3. Performance Testing: Performance Testing validates the speed of the system and load bearing capacity. It is carried out in two steps:
• Load Testing: Load Testing ensures that on carrying out standard number of transactions on system, its performance is up to the required level.
• Stress Testing: Stress Testing finds the threshold limit of a system which is the amount of unexpected load at which a given system will stop operating effectively.
These types of testing when combined with test planning, requirement management and defect management comprise enterprise testing. Enterprise testing ensures ROI (Return of Investment) for a given system. To produce high quality systems and provide best products to clients, every onsite and offshore software development firms test systems on all possible configurations and conditions. Enterprise Testing of various systems is carried out so that certain kinds of losses to the organization can be minimized. Some of the main consequences avoiding the testing process can be:
1. Reputation Damage: If there is any critical system failure in production environment at client site, the working of client services will be halted. These failures will deeply impact company's reputation and market share. If such problems come again and again then client will move on to another provider and that will be a big loss too.
2. Increased Cost: If there are system failures, the cost of fixing such systems and labor will add-up. If system is found to be beyond the repair level then replacement will be done that will cost quite a bit to the enterprise.
3. Decreased Revenue: During the system downtime clients will not be able to access the services and this will decrease in revenue.
Some times, in rush of various business activities, enterprise testing is overlooked or sometimes dismissed. But such things will cost in future, so to provide good system and no service hindrance, enterprise testing is very important.
Author Resource:
Kevin James is the author of this article. He has been demonstrating his writing skills by writing the articles for Java software development like Q3 technologies from last two years. He also has a keen interest in writing stuff for Software Development India related firms.