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Improve and Continue Testing

After the initial deployment, regular configuration changes are delivered in new releases. In addition, Oracle delivers regular maintenance and major software releases. Configuration changes and new software releases must be tested to verify that the quality of the system is sustained. This is a continuous effort using a phased deployment approach, as discussed in Modular and Iterative Methodology.

This ongoing lifecycle of the application is an opportunity for continuous improvement in testing. First, a strategy for testing functionality across the life of the application is built by identifying a regression test suite. This test suite provides an abbreviated set of test cases that can be run with each delivery to identify any regression defects that may be introduced. The use of automation is particularly helpful for executing regression tests. By streamlining the regression test process, organizations are able to incorporate change into their applications at a much lower cost.

Figure 19. Improve Testing Process

The testing strategy and its objectives should be reviewed to identify any inadequacies in planning. A full review of the logged defects (both open and closed) can help calibrate the risk assessment performed earlier. This review provides an opportunity to measure the observed risk of specific components (for example, which component introduced the largest number of defects). A project-level final review meeting (also called a post-mortem) provides an opportunity to have a discussion about what went well, and what could have gone better with respect to testing. Test plans and test cases should be reviewed to determine their effectiveness. Update test cases to include testing scenarios exposed during testing that were not previously identified.