CASE STUDY #5

Stress and Volume Testing, Capacity Management and
Performance Tuning

A Federal Government Agency

CPT was engaged to provide expertise in stress and volume testing, capacity management and performance tuning to the client’s Re-engineering program. The program has been described as the biggest e-government project in Australia; it creates a secure Web based government e-commerce facility, handling significant annual trade processing volumes.

The CPT Approach

CPT was required to verify performance and capacity demand of the fully integrated system at expected production volumes, and to augment the significant resources deployed for functional acceptance testing. CPT provided:
 

• Technical Stress and Volume expertise;

• Cross platform expertise (mainframe to midrange);

• Diagnostic skills;

• Performance tuning and management skills;

• Capacity planning; and

• Project Management.
  

   

Value for Money & Efficiencies Gained

Key achievements include:

• Technical Stress and Volume expertise;

• Cross platform expertise (mainframe to midrange);

• Diagnostic skills;

• Performance tuning and management skills;

• Capacity planning; and

• Project Management.

Value for Money & Efficiencies Gained

Key achievements include:
 

• Assisting the client to deploy the core application into production; 

• Design and development of an EDI transaction simulation test harness to specifically meet expected volumes and endurance requirements, to closely mirror analysis of the load mix coming from Industry Test areas;

• Continued preparation for testing of significant new functionality and new interfaces such as QSP, AQIS and data extraction to Teradata. This complex phase built upon the testing foundations established by CPT during the initial phase;

• Close working relationships over an extended period with the client and various internal and external stakeholder groups, (multiple external service providers, UAT and User groups) to establish an extensive and comprehensive S&V Testing and capacity management capability, including reporting on Production readiness and post implementation production support.  This was evidenced through:
  
  

  • The collation and documentation of expected production business processing volumetrics;

  • The custom-built development of a complex EDI transaction harness.  The harness has proven to be invaluable in volume testing and performance testing the early releases of the system and continued use for Industry profiling readiness testing;

  • The establishment of capacity management & performance management processes and delivery  of regular reports;

  • Technical support and problem diagnosis for UAT, Production support and Development areas; and

  • Focussed testing and support tasks undertaken in concert with UAT, external service providers and Industry Testing for the resolution of specific web, midrange and mainframe system issues.
     

All of the above achievements demonstrate CPT’s ability to facilitate and work constructively with stakeholders, other suppliers and third parties to achieve successful outcomes for the client. This has been achieved in a program of considerable complexity, with a high public profile, often with conflicting priorities and deadlines. CPT’s objective has always been that of an overall success for the client.

CPT has been re-engaged to continue to support the client at large and the project specifically as the team continues to deliver.