Performance Test Creation: Analysis Phase

Analysis

The main deliverable of this phase is a pro-forma business plan for the performance test, primarily to establish its feasibility. This requires an iterative process of estimating various parameters and analyzing tradeoffs. While a complete explanation won't fit on this small page (the process is fully described, with heuristics and guidelines, in the Members Only section of this web site), I can review the highlights here.

The most important parameters are: Purpose, Revenues (including both testing and training), Cost (in time and money, including maintenance), Customer Satisfaction (including predicitve validity), Technical feasibility (sometime including a proof-of-concept demonstration), and Delivery channels. Purpose is the primary driver for performance testing.

What is the end goal? It might be a competant workforce, or an additional revenue stream. It might be because test piracy is reducing the perceived value of your current porgram, or your customers are growing dissatisfied with a program that doesn't appear to test all the job skills that are needed, just knowledge. It may be that you'll only ever have to test 50 people. You can see from these various purposes that very different program might emerge.

Addotional components typically included in a testing business plan are: cost justification/ROI, channel delivery options and costs, project plan, user experience specification (use cases), maintenance plan, preliminary data model specification, management presentations,

Click here for an elaboration of the next phase: Design.





		Analysis The main deliverable of this phase is a pro-forma business plan for the performance test, primarily to establish its feasibility. This requires an iterative process of estimating various parameters and analyzing tradeoffs. While a complete explanation won't fit on this small page (the process is fully described, with heuristics and guidelines, in the Members Only section of this web site), I can review the highlights here. The most important parameters are: Purpose, Revenues (including both testing and training), Cost (in time and money, including maintenance), Customer Satisfaction (including predicitve validity), Technical feasibility (sometime including a proof-of-concept demonstration), and Delivery channels. Purpose is the primary driver for performance testing. What is the end goal? It might be a competant workforce, or an additional revenue stream. It might be because test piracy is reducing the perceived value of your current porgram, or your customers are growing dissatisfied with a program that doesn't appear to test all the job skills that are needed, just knowledge. It may be that you'll only ever have to test 50 people. You can see from these various purposes that very different program might emerge. Addotional components typically included in a testing business plan are: cost justification/ROI, channel delivery options and costs, project plan, user experience specification (use cases), maintenance plan, preliminary data model specification, management presentations, Click here for an elaboration of the next phase: Design.