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Performance Testing Core Principles: CCD IS EARI

Submitted by sbarber on Mon, 21/05/2007 - 15:44. other online resources | performance testing | test management
This is the first installment of a currently unknown number of posts about heuristics and mnemonics I find valuable when teaching and conducting performance testing.
 
Other posts about performance testing heuristics and mnemonics are:
 
 
There is not a "one-size-fits-most" approach to performance testing, but I have become rather convinced that there are nine principles that are (almost always) applied (or at least actively considered) in successful performance testing projects. I remember those principles by remembering:
 
CCD IS EARI
  • Context: Project context is central to successful performance testing.
  • Criteria: Business, project, system, & user success criteria.
  • Design: Identify system usage, and key metrics; plan and design tests.
  • Install: Install and prepare environment, tools, & resource monitors.
  • Script: Implement test design using tools.
  • Execute: Run and monitor tests. Validate tests, test data, and results.
  • Analyze: Analyze the data individually and as a cross-functional team.
  • Report: Consolidate and share results, customized by audience.
  • Iterate: "Lather, rinse, repeat" as necessary.
 
For more see Developing an approach to performance testing -- CCD IS EARI.
 
--
Scott Barber
President & Chief Technologist, PerfTestPlus, Inc.
Vice President & Executive Director, Association for Software Testing
www.perftestplus.com
www.associationforsoftwaretesting.org
 
"If you can see it in your mind...
     you will find it in your life."
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TechTarget / CCD IS EARI

Submitted by sbarber on Wed, 23/05/2007 - 16:54.
TechTarget is certainly commercial, but if you are careful with your selection of what notifications you want to received, I've found them to be a really good consolidator of information, up to date, unbiased toward or away from any particular vendor/concept, honest and absolutely fabulous to work with. I guess I can't really vouch for all of TechTarget, but the SearchSoftwareQuality part has impressed me.

As for your question...

Requirements/Thresholds & Goals/Targets - Only difference is End-User perspective vs. Component perspective.

So why 5 instead of only 3? It's entirely for teaching purposes. I've found over the years that I've been teaching this that the majority of folks attending a class about performance testing are very heavily biased toward one perspective or the other. Separating the categories seems to help folks recognize their biases and adjust accordingly.

The fact is that once you (or your team) recognize and adjust to whatever bias you may (or may not) have, there is no real reason to have 5 "buckets" instead of 3. The points that matters *most* to me are the following:

- Recognize the difference between negotiable and non-negotiable items (whatever you call them).
- Remember to consider both the system as a whole (i.e. End-User) and the pieces that make up the system.
- Consider that not all of the reasons for conducting performance testing may involve "pass/fail" criteria.

I'm confident that you already get that, Alex, and that this is just reinforcement. Like I say, I'm trying really hard these days to make key concepts easy to both teach and learn for folks who haven't been living and breathing this stuff for (probably too many) years like you and I have.

Thanks for the note - that was a really good question to have answered here!

--
Scott Barber
Chief Technologist, PerfTestPlus
Executive Director, Association for Software Testing
sbarber@perftestplus.com
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TechTarget / CCD IS EARI

Submitted by Alexander Podelko on Wed, 23/05/2007 - 16:31.
Scott,

By my opinion, TechTarget is too commercialized. They push commercial content too heavily (and you need to fill long questionnaire when you want to see it). I signed off all of them except SoftwareQuality (which I keep only for your column).

Returning to CCD IS EARI, what is the principal difference between 1)performance goals and performance targets 2) between performance requirements and performance thresholds? They sound very close to me. Do we actually need five groups here? For me, first three look enough from the practical point of view. What I am missing?

Regards,

Alex
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