Better System Testing For Better Business

Testing a customer's requirements helps guarantee customer satisfaction. If you have a test plan, then you will be more likely to ask your customers the right questions when obtaining their system requirements. Thorough testing up front also minimizes the need for support calls and visits later. Finally, customers appreciate the security and added value of a well-defined and documented test strategy.

Testing Options

Let's take a closer look at the standard parts of testing,and how they can help your business.

Component testing involves verifying a system's building blocks, such as add-on PCI, USB or firewire peripherals, then checking to ensure they meet your client's needs. It's an unfortunate reality that what manufacturers advertise on the box is not always what you get.

Interface testing (also known as unit testing) is when you look at how the system's parts work together. For example, a voice/fax modem may have checked out well with the bundled software, but will it work with software that is ITAPI-compliant? Develop a checklist of interfaces and data paths to verify, and document that critical drivers are loaded and working.

System testing looks at the system as a whole. Unlike component and interface testing, which focus on pieces of the system, system testing is an opportunity to treat the parts as a complete system. The goal is to confirm that what you built matches the system's specifications.

Acceptance testing proves that the system meets the customer's stated needs. If the customer supplied written requirements for a system, then an acceptance test at the end of the process would verify that all expectations were met.

Release or field testing takes testing a step further and puts the system in the real world,or as close to it as possible. You might learn that your hardware won't hold up in a hostile environment or that your stress-testing was not severe enough. Release testing is generally performed along with (or by) the actual users of the system.

Benchmark testing is not part of formal testing standards but has become very popular. Basically, benchmarking seeks to compare components to some well-established standards. Benchmarking software is generally easy to use, providing useful information about how base PC systems and subsystems are functioning. It also compares a system's performance against other PC systems. Most benchmarking applications can run separate tests, repeat tests to "soak" or stress-test components, and print out system inventory and test results.

Some benchmarking software can be found as freeware. Two good examples are VeriTest's WinStone and WinBench, which measure the performance of graphics, disk and video subsystems. Commercial solutions include full-featured packages, such as CSA Research's Benchmark Studio, which qualifies PC hardware capacity, server scalability and network performance. Other commercial packages are more complex, such as PC-Doctor, a suite of more than 350 test functions that is used in manufacturing settings. The creators of these packages also offer system-testing software to test PC subsystems. One example is load simulators, which can be used for stress-testing Web applications.

Andy McDonough is a freelance writer based in New Jersey. He consults regularly on testing hardware and software.