Agile testing and_the_banking_domain_2009

6 QUALITY MATTERS Q2 2009
BY: SHARON ROBSON
Banking/Finance and Software Testing have a lot in common
– it is all about risk! Even more speciﬁcally it is about the clear
understanding of the risks being undertaken. The Banking/
Finance domain is focused on risk analysis of their clients and
the investments that the institution makes, whereas Testing is
about risk analysis and reporting on the Quality of software
(applications) under test.
In the IT world, the Banking/Finance sector is perceived as
being conservative; characterised by being not quick on the
uptake of new approaches or techniques, very risk adverse,
as well as being particularly price sensitive. This has lead to a
reliance on the older, more “traditional” development
approaches such as the Waterfall or V-Model. These ap-
proaches have been considered to be robust and conserva-
tive, and although not cheap, have been used extensively in
the Banking and Finance domain. However times are chang-
ing and now there is the push for getting more products to
market and getting them there faster and much more cost
effectively[1].
To understand how to approach testing in the Banking/Finance
Domain, there needs to be a model of the domain. There are
many types of Banking and Financial applications within this
industry vertical, so I will generalise (see Figure 1).
Figure 1

7QUALITY MATTERS Q2 2009
If I postulate that the banking and finance domain is typically
characterised by multi–tier functionality [2], which in itself im-
plies a complex “system of systems” [3]. The systems them-
selves tend to be the result of bespoke development, maybe
internal IT groups, or outsourced [4]. Either way, the systems
are theoretically well documented, however the documenta-
tion is either grossly out of date (as with most documentation)
or has been lost in the myriad of buy-outs, mergers or take-
overs also typical in the Banking/Finance domain.
Another characteristic of the Banking/Finance systems is the
preponderance of interfaces; bank to bank, bank to branch,
bank to web-users, just a few obvious examples. These days
there is highly probably a Web Interface as well as many spe-
cific user interfaces. The result is many users on distributed
systems each with a different business need and approach
to the system.
To further compound the complex situation, the transactions
at both the data level, and the User Interface (UI) can be com-
plex, often requiring business logic to be applied at the client
side and server side and, as is happening more and more
now, in a Service Layer or Business Logic Layer [1][4]. Most
if not all of the activity through the system will require Secure
Transactions, both batch and synchronous (real-time).
Another key characteristic, especially when in comes to
the sale of various Banking/Finance “products” is the huge
number of Business Rules that must be maintained and moni-
tored. There is little margin for error, as this is the fundamental
requirement of a banking system! This is reinforced by the
need for extensive regulation and auditing functionality. Re-
porting is often the way that audits and confirmation of ad-
herence to regulations are implemented and is always a key
component of Banking systems, even more so now that there
are more stringent requirements as a result of the implemen-
tation of regulations such as Sarbanes-Oxley and Basel II.
Effective Document Management is key to the retention of
important data and is usually implemented to assist with re-
porting and auditing requirements, as well as implementation
of the Business Rules.
At an infrastructure level, Banking/Finance systems tend to
have robust back up procedures, disaster recovery systems,
and high availability requirements. Coupled with this are mas-
sive storage systems, requiring speedy transactions and rapid
data transfer. The complicating factor with this infrastructure
is that it often involves integration of myriad disparate legacy
systems as the result of mergers and take-overs which are
typical of this industry [5].
To summarise the generic Banking/Finance system, I see the
following key characteristics:
• Multi-tier Functionality
• Systems of Systems – Large Scale Integration
• Bespoke Development
• Lacking Documentation
• Many Interfaces
• Distributed Systems
• Disparate Use Cases
• Complex Transactions
• Secure Transactions (Batch and Real Time)
• Speedy Transactions
• Complex Business Logic (Client and Server)
• Auditable
• Document Management
• Back Up/Recovery/Disaster Recovery
• Massive Storage Systems
Now the application domain has been defined, let us consider
how we can approach testing it.
“Agile” development methods have been developed to try and
eliminate the issues associated with the more traditional de-
velopment approaches. The Agile Manifesto [6] focused on
many aspects of software development, but it terms of quick
delivery it can be highlighted by the following two principles:
• Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks
to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter time-
scale.
• Business people and developers must work together daily
throughout the project.
For implementing new systems in any domain, even the Bank-
ing/Finance sector, an Agile approach to the testing makes a
lot of sense. No matter what Software Development Lifecycle
(SDLC) is followed, testing continues to be about analysis and
reporting on the Quality of the System Under Test (SUT). In
Agile development approaches this lends itself to a risk-based
approach from the business perspective, contrasting with more
traditional development approaches. This risk analysis is done
with the Business Users, by the Business Users. This seems
to be ideally suited to risk adverse, yet economically con-
strained domains, such as Banking/Finance.
Agile test techniques should not be taken on without due
consideration to the dynamics of the specific project. I will
consider the generic characteristics of the Banking/Finance
systems as defined above and if, in general, they are suitable
for an Agile Testing approach. With this knowledge you can
then consider the particular project you are focusing on.
Sharon has worked in Software
Testing for over 7 years and in
the IT industry for over 17.
Sharon works for Software
Education Associates Limited as
a Knowledge Engineer doing
training and consultancy in the
Software Testing domain.
Sharon is a founding board member of Australia New Zea-
land Testing Board (ANZTB www.anztb.org) and is the cur-
rent chairperson of the ISTQB Marketing Working Group.
Sharon has spoken publicly about software testing and cer-
tification at many events, including STANZ 2007 and 2008
and various Test Professional Network (TPN) and Special
Interest Group in Testing (SIGIST) meetings.

8 QUALITY MATTERS Q2 2009
As noted previously, Agile is all about access to the Business
User (customer), and rapid turn around of software which can
be done via incremental and rapid (small batches of func-
tionality) development cycles. Incumbent in this approach is
design collaboration and review, less documentation, auto-
mated testing, early and often code delivery, unit and smoke
tests before “independent” testing, and importantly, business
experts defining and participating in Acceptance tests [7].
So, the key question is “What are we testing?” or more specif-
ically “What is the objective of this test?” If we are focusing on
Large Scale Integration [8] for example, which is often a char-
acteristic of Banking/Finance applications, theoretically this
is technically difficult and requires extensive knowledge of all
the systems at the interface definition level. This information
may not be available for all the systems in the Integration
scope; thus an Agile testing approach could work very well
here. An Agile testing approach would define the User Stories
which in turn define how the various systems will be required
to behave in specific circumstances – without needing the in-
depth documentation.
The Testing mindset of applying positive and negative test
conditions will assist in driving out many undefined require-
ments, so by working with the Business at all levels the re-
quirements for the interfaces and integration can be defined
and tested. Although there are technical integration require-
ments, the key “needs” still have to be defined by the Busi-
ness. The tests should and could even be defined in such a
way that they are automated and retained for ongoing regres-
sion and integration testing.
If the project is adding functionality to an existing system,
testing the new functionality under an Agile Development ap-
proach is straight-forward, but how do we make allowances
for the potentially extensive Regression testing? The big
question here is when will the Regression testing occur in the
Agile lifecycle? What should be within the iteration, and what
should be excluded from the iteration? Of course, the stand-
ard testing answer is “it depends” – the key point is to identify
what the dependencies are.
New functionality could be developed under an Agile ap-
proach, but then integrated using more traditional methods,
or even the reverse, traditional methods for the initial devel-
opment and Agile testing for the Integration and Regression
test activities. For example if the project was about installing
a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) infrastructure, which
is increasingly common in the Industry, and incorporating
legacy systems with new “Commercial Off The Shelf” prod-
ucts (COTS) [2]. The business logic layer may be done in an
Agile approach, or the new functionality could be developed
using the more traditional methods. Either way, what about
the Integration and Regression testing? There are two types
of regression testing to consider; regression testing within the
Iteration and regression testing when the new functionality
is integrated within the system as a whole, or when the new
system is integrated within the “system of systems”.
Applying an Agile Testing approach to the regression testing
is a risk, the main risk being that the right people are not made
available or consulted on what is important to the business
for the regression User Stories. Sometimes this could be due
to the merger or take over of an existing system, where the
knowledge has not been retained. However when there is lit-
tle or no documentation, surely this is the ideal time to involve
the Business and have them understand the risks, the testing
approach, and define the Acceptance Criteria; which is a fun-
damental tenant of the Agile Testing approach.
Another risk with the Agile approach is coverage, can we
ensure we achieve sufficient coverage for the Business and
the new implementation? This comes back to the Business
and working closely with the Development Team and the Test
Team to clearly define the User Stories that are associated
with regression. The Agile approach allows the discussion
and analysis of the risks and implications of the new develop-
ment, and any further testing that must take place.
Another characteristic of the Banking/Finance domain is the
heavily regulated environment, which implies lots of regres-
sion testing – this is ideal for an Agile testing approach as the
regression tests are an integral part of the development life-
cycle. Unit Testing and Automated Test Suites are part of the
Agile approach, and when done correctly provide a traceable
and re-usable framework for all development and testing. Of
course this only applies to the systems that have been devel-
oped using an Agile approach. When considering the Integra-
tion or Regression testing, an Agile testing approach allows
the ongoing development and retention of these frameworks,
independently of any specific development lifecycle.
The Agile testing approach advocates a high degree of tool
usage which means that the performance and security as-
pects of the testing can be included in the standard System
and Acceptance test suites. These can be moved from the
domain of the specialists, once written, and incorporated
into the standard suite of Regression and Acceptance tests,
meaning that this area is no longer over looked or considered
SYSTEMS OF SYSTEMS – LARGE
SCALE INTEGRATION
BESPOKE DEVELOPMENT
LACKING DOCUMENTATION

9QUALITY MATTERS Q2 2009
“too hard” . Agile approaches with their inherent risk analysis
enable risk mitigation by focusing on the “hard” things earlier
in the development cycle, and by doing so, escalating them
in the order of development and implementing them as early
as possible.
Additionally when the Agile approach is taken to testing, the
Business User is able to define, via their User Stories, the
importance and/or risks associated with these aspects of the
system. Agile testing approaches mean that the Business
User is also there to participate in the testing, or demonstra-
tions, so that they can say when it is “good-enough” instead
of assigning arbitrary and sometimes un-testable numbers to
performance characteristics. They are gathering a better un-
derstanding of their system, earlier in the development cycle.
An Agile testing approach is excellent for other non-functional
testing; with continual integration, we can focus on the non-
functional or Quality aspects of the system (providing we
have the appropriate test environment) and have continual
testing and re-factoring (if required) of the architecture and
code, potentially without the use or “interference” caused by
Browsers or other distracting UIs [8]. The use of stubs and
harnesses, and other test tools coupled with frequent cus-
tomer demonstrations means that they are able to focus on
the performance without the influences of any UI driving their
understanding of the system.
An Agile approach to testing also allows the acceptance crite-
ria to be clearly defined, as soon as they become part of any
specific User Story – creating the story forces us to consider
how it will be tested. These factors are often overlooked or
worse, poorly or incorrectly defined, in more “traditional” ap-
proaches. These tests are then able to be incorporated into
the new or existing system as soon as possible. This also
contributes to a substantial knowledge base about the system
being established very quickly.
When considering the question of if Agile Testing approach
should be used on Banking/Financial domain applications the
usual testing answer “it depends” applies. With the move to-
wards more dynamic applications and greater speed to mar-
ket there is a need for Agile techniques across the board in
this domain. Additionally there is the need for very traditional
structured approaches to testing due to the regulatory and
auditory requirements of the industry. Thus what then occurs
is a more “hybrid” approach to the development and testing.
We can use different, less structured, techniques during the
development phase, almost a purist Agile approach (although
Agile is highly structured), and then once the project has been
delivered the testing can stand alone, with moderate support,
to continue the regression testing. The testing however, could
continue to use the fundamentals of Agile Testing to enhance
the understanding of the SUT, and to work with the Business
in undertaking their risk analysis. Agile test techniques should
be seriously considered for the Banking/Finance domain. As
with all development and testing approaches, they should be
implemented after a period of consideration and analysis. The
most important consideration is to ensure that the system is
Tested!
1.Colonial First State reduces time-to-market for core appli-
cations http://www.computerworld.com.au/whitepaper/21615
5?rtid=1&rid=457&location=featured
2.Nancy Feig, Pursuing the Promise of SOA, June 24, 2008,
http://www.banktech.com/printableArticle.jhtml;jsessionid
=RBPIDUTZ5LFSKQSNDLPCKH0CJUNN2JVN?articleI
D=208701020
3. ISTQB Advanced Level Syllabus 2007, www.anztb.org
4.http://www.eclipse.org/community/casestudies/jp_morgan_
final.pdf
5. Linda Newsom-Ray, Software Quality Improvement in Fi-
nancial Services after the Merger
An MKS Whitepaper http://www.computerworld.com.au/in-
dex.php/id;671849297;relcomp;1
6. http://agilemanifesto.org/
7. Lisa Crispin and Tip House, Testing Extreme Programming,
Addison-Wesley, 2003
8. Paul Gerrard, E-Business Testing: Test Techniques and
Tools, Risk-Based E-Business Testing, Part 2, Nov 1, 2000

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