Determine the Process
Figure 7.3 CMMI Performance Testing Activity Flow
overall success of the performance testing sub-project. Performance testing can be complex
enough, even without finding out in the middle of the process that you need to reproduce test
data or results from previously conducted tests because an audit is scheduled to take place in two
weeks.
You must completely understand the process and compliance requirements even before you start
planning your performance testing, because it is the only way to ensure that the testing effort
does not get derailed or stuck in a bureaucratic process of change-request approvals and sign-
offs. Fortunately, these rules and regulations are almost always thoroughly documented, making
this step relatively straightforward, and the challenges frequently lie in obtaining and interpreting
these documents.
interpreting how that process applies to performance testing. Software development process
documentation rarely addresses performance testing directly. If this is the case for your project,
perhaps the best way to determine the appropriate process is to extrapolate the document to
include performance testing to the extent possible, and then submit the revised process to the
project manager and/or process engineer for approval. You may have to iterate before getting