Getting Agile: How to Ensure High-Performing Applications?

Performance testing is a crucial part of application testing services that simulates the conditions and scenarios when a system performs under a set load. It does not focus on exploring just the defects but also shares incredible insights on the overall application performance based on the set industry standards.

Often QA engineers focus on analyzing metrics including response time, System Usability Scale, Single Ease Question, Completion Rates to chart out user experience to understand the performance of the website or application. Quantitative data helps give context to the performance testing exercise. This helps developers focus on eliminating bottlenecks while also getting closer to achieving industry benchmarks.

Numbers carry the power of persuasion.

That’s why it’s easier to figure out and address performance issues as the stakeholders can come to a quick and informed conclusion. From the larger strategic point of view, you get to have a set of objectives outlined for the next development sprint.

On the other hand, qualitative performance is as important if not more. It tells the story of how the end-user, the hero of the story, began his journey with your website, system or application and the conflicts he experienced, what irked him, what didn’t, and whether he actually ended up reaching his desired destination at the end or not?

It’s important to map out the user experience journey. This is what helps determine how scalable and interoperable your application is.

Qualitative Testing tells you when the user quit the product journey while Quantitative Testing tells you just what is likely to have caused that.

In the dynamic, fast paced, digitally disrupted world that we now live in, your application is bound to have plenty of updates. With each new set of update or enhancement rolled out, there’s bound to be more than a few hiccups in the performance of the application which may affect the user experience significantly reducing your ROI in the process.

A 1 second delay in page response can result in a 7% reduction in conversions.

Therefore, you need to undertake continuous performance testing for your website, system or application.

Continuous performance testing combines the best practices of performance testing and continuous testing to quick detect and solve performance related issues. It goes beyond simply using the right set of tools, which is of course a pre-requisite. It’s also about effectively automating development and operations processes to derive maximum value from fast and accurate integration.

What Performance Testing Metrics are Measured?

The stability, scalability and speed of the application needs to be measured. However, it is important to understand that it would be unrealistic to expect all three of these parameters in the very first round of performance testing itself. Different rounds tailored to arrive at better understanding of the said factors.

Following metrics are used in performance testing:

• Response Time
• Peak Response Time
• CPU Utilization
• Memory Utilization
• Per Second Requests
• Average Latency
• Average Load Time
• Error Rate
• Concurrent Users
• Requests Per Second
• Throughput

What will it help you arrive at?

Performance testing will help you gauge the actual turnaround time between development and the time the product hits the virtual market shelves. Performance testing goes way beyond simply user experience. It also helps you fix functional and performance issues related to specific errors in the code. It equips your QA team with the foresight to anticipate all possible risks and crisis so the framework to address such issues can be created well in advance. Your QA team can mitigate risks of possible data loss, memory overflows which can all lead to better user experience.

Why should Performance Testing be a force of habit?

Performance testing is usually independently carried out once the application has been developed. At Cygnet, our decade long experience has made us realize the need of integrating performance testing in the product development lifecycle. As part of agile product development, we integrate continuous performance testing throughout the SDLC. And, that is how we have been consistently delivering superior user-experience for 2000+ enterprise class solutions.

Tools and Technologies

When you integrate continuous performance testing using the best DevOps practices as part of the agile scrum development methodology, not only do you deliver superior quality product, but you also track the code performance every step of the way ensuring timely delivery. In addition, you get quick results on a regular basis throughout the software development cycle.

To Conclude:

High performing applications promise higher ROI. However, superior performance is a force of agile habit and not a one-off testing round. This is what separates industry leaders from innovative applications that die a poor death. Incorporating continuous performance testing in the SDLC gets more traction for your application. Moreover, your technology infrastructure gets stronger with time thanks to streamlined processes. Since, your application is scalable and infrastructure stronger, you need minimal investment to scale things up in the future, leading to higher ROI with time.

Continuous performance testing is a gift that keeps giving.

With agile continuous performance testing, achieving your business goals just got easier. Get in touch with Cygnet for all your product engineering and testing needs on +1–609–245–0971 or inquiry@cygnetinfotech.com.

Originally published at https://www.cygnet-infotech.com.