Software Testing - Operational Testing

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Software testing is performed to confirm if the software is ready to be moved to the production environment. The operational testing is done to check if the software is ready to operate as a product, service, or application, and to ensure its quality. The operational features of the software determine its longevity, and they should be taken care before it is released for the customers.

What is Software Operational Testing?

The software operational testing is conducted by a dedicated team or sometimes performed by the testing team at the early stages of the software development life cycle (SDLC). It is a specialized testing methodology that analyzes the softwares operational robustness prior moving to the production.

The software operational testing is also called the Operational Readiness Testing (ORT). It verifies if the software and its different units are working fine in the usual operating environment. It takes place after the completion of the user acceptance testing, and is carried on a particular environment at the time of the SDLC.

The software operational testing is an integral part of the quality management team. It is carried on as a non-functional acceptance testing. It helps in the overall development, and the maintenance of software. It is also done to validate the operational features of the software.

Why is Software Operational?

The software operational testing is very important as it ensures the execution of the operational test cases to verify if the software has the desired security, performance, reliability etc. It reduces the probability of finding defects in the production. For mobile applications, the software operational testing confirms that mobile apps have the correct robustness for a long time.

The software operational testing also includes the verification of the structural and functional modifications to the software. It also tests if the software can be deployed to a network using the infrastructure library.

Advantages of Software Operational Testing

The advantages of the software operational testing are listed below −

• The operational testing assists in handling the failover situations till the time the software is up and running.
• The operational testing keeps a track of the software capacity by simulating a large number of users, transactions, requests.
• The software operational testing verifies the backup and recovery use cases so that the data remains secure at all times.
• The operational testing validates the various alerts, and notification systems applied to the software.
• The operational testing is done to test whether the modifications done at the production can be integrated very easily without affecting the overall features of the software.
• The operational testing ensures that the shut down and the restart functionalities are working properly without impacting the normal software operations.

Differences between Software Functional and Operational Testing

The differences between the software functional and operational testing are listed below −

Performs the Software Operational Testing

The software operational testing are performed by the teams listed below

• Test Team
• Operational Team
• Customer Support Team

Skills Required for Software Operational Testing

The skills required for the software operational testing are listed below −

• The software operational testing requires the understanding of the domain to which the software belongs to, and its overall features.
• The software operational testing requires information on the various data patterns, and test outcomes which help to create informed decisions.
• The software operational testing should be driven by good stakeholder management skills so that there is effective communication, and collaboration among various teams.
• The software operational testing should be driven by implementation and execution of various test campaigns.
• The software operational testing requires understanding of the complicated system requirements.

Different Types of Tests in Software Operational Testing

The different types of tests in the software operational testing are listed below −

• Installation Test
• Load Test
• Performance Test
• Backup and Restore Test
• Security Test
• Code Analysis
• Failover Test
• Recovery Test

Disadvantages of Software Operational Testing

The disadvantages of the software operational testing are listed below −

• The software operational testing involves very complex workflows which the developers are sometimes not even aware of to provide a solution to a problem.
• The software operational testing takes time, and may impact delivery.
• The software operational testing is a costly process.

Conclusion

This concludes our comprehensive take on the tutorial on Software Operational Testing. Weve started with describing what is software operational testing, what are the objectives of the software non-functional testing, why is software operational done, what are the advantages of software operational testing, what are the differences between the software functional and operational testing, who performs the software operational testing, what are the skills required for the software operational testing, what are the different types tests in the software operational testing, and what are the disadvantages of software operational testing. This equips you with in-depth knowledge of Software Operational Testing. It is wise to keep practicing what youve learned and exploring others relevant to Software Testing to deepen your understanding and expand your horizons.