The Importance of End to End Testing

I have just read an article that claims the demise of the Boeing Starliner’s first flight failed due to a lack of testing; specifically end-to-end testing.

You can be sure that extensive tests were performed on all the various components and phases of the mission. However, no end-to-end test was performed to ensure each phase correctly ‘connected’ to the next.

The importance of end-to-end testing equally applies to business-critical applications. Many of our customers will often talk about ‘Flow’ testing. A Flow is an end-to-end business process, such as Order To Cash. This Flow, or process, involves many steps from taking an order, through manufacturing, distribution, invoicing and receiving payment. Each step in the process can be, and is, tested in isolation, but until the whole process from start to finish is verified, you cannot be sure that you can take an order and, ultimately, get paid for it.

Qualify AQM, our software quality management platform supports this type of testing through its Execution Flow feature, developed at the request of our customers and designed with their input and feedback.

It provides the ability to define an end-to-end process with multiple steps and assign each step to a specific tester.

As the test progresses, Qualify AQM controls when a step is ready to be performed, notifies the tester and also provides a mechanism for passing information from one tester to another. For the Test Manager, it means they can see how testing is progressing and quickly spot any Flow test that is blocked.

For many clients this capability is essential. If you want to ensure a smooth take-off (and landing) let’s talk.

Tim Bower is a solution consultant and code-free testing guru at Original Software.