The Maturity Model for Performance Testing

Note: This article was originally posted on Loadtester.com, and has been migrated to the Northway web site to maintain the content online.

I have been studying the maturity model put forth by Mercury around performance testing. Here’s a graphic representation of it.

I have some thoughts about it, but before I get off on a rant, I thought it was only fair to put some brief points and descriptions around each phase. Obviously, this is borrowed from the CMM model.

Take a look at some of the qualities below that describe the stages and think about where your own company fits into this model. If you are a consultant, think about the clients you have been at over the last 6 months. How do they rate?

Stage 1: Project Testing

• Little or no testing infrastructure
• Ad-hoc testing
• No formal reporting and limited visibility
• No Scheduling. In-house resources pushed to get testing completed right before production roll-out.
• No standard test tool. Freeware from the web or whatever you can get
• Limited knowledge of performance testing methodology. Unclear objectives.
• “Just get the project done”

Stage 2: Product Utility

• 24×7 enterprise-wide testing infrastructure
• Management console and reports
• Resources scheduling
• Web-enabled, collaborative testing
• Best in class testing capabilities

Stage 3: Service Utility

• Provides testing services across multiple lines of business
• Processes: known standards, collaborative workflows
• Project management
• Internal billing capabilities
• Dashboard: visibility into project status

Stage 4: Performance Authority

• Standardized services and metrics based on best practices
• Real-time visibility and end-to-end traceability
• Knowledge / expertise sharing
• Centralized management and authority
• Testing community

Is your organization using Performance Center? If so, what do you think about PC? Post a comment below and let’s discuss it.