Part 3: Test Planning & Strategy (Performance Testing Revision Cheat Sheet)

 

📌 Importance of Planning

Without a proper plan, performance testing becomes random load generation. A clear strategy ensures relevance, accuracy, and stakeholder confidence.

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🎯 Steps in Performance Test Planning

1. Requirement Gathering

   • Understand business objectives (e.g., system must support 10,000 concurrent users).

   • Identify SLAs / KPIs (e.g., API response < 2 sec, error rate < 1%).

2. Identify Performance Scenarios

   • Business-critical flows (e.g., login, checkout, search).

   • Peak load conditions (seasonal spikes, campaign launches).

   • Data volume considerations (DB growth, caching).

3. Workload Modeling

   • Define user mix (e.g., 60% browsing, 30% checkout, 10% admin).

   • Determine concurrency model (open vs closed workload).

   • Set ramp-up, steady-state, ramp-down timelines.

4. Environment Setup

   • Production-like test environment.

   • Isolate network dependencies.

   • Configure monitoring tools.

5. Test Data Preparation

   • Unique test accounts, transactions, and datasets.

   • Ensure data refresh/reset strategy between test runs.

6. Define Entry & Exit Criteria

   • Entry: environment ready, tools configured, data available.

   • Exit: SLA met, bottlenecks identified, analysis completed.

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🛠️ Deliverables of Test Planning

• Performance Test Plan Document.

• Workload Models & Test Scenarios.

• Monitoring & Data Strategy.

• Risk Assessment (infra limits, tool constraints).