Overview of Performance Testing Objectives and Scope

I hope you find this Performance Test Plan template helpful. Please use it wisely. You see, I have mixed feelings about template test plans – performance or otherwise.

A test plan template, when used properly, can be really helpful and reduce effort. No one wants to reinvent the wheel and clients shouldn’t be charged for unnecessary effort. However, I often find myself reading a test plan that has been created from a template and it’s clear to see that the author hasn’t properly thought about it or addressed the unique attributes of the project, business or system under test. Boiler plate text that is irrelevant, content that doesn’t address what it needs to or is too high level to be of any real value are common issues. As such, the test plan doesn’t reflect the reality of what needs to happen or what eventually does happen. Questions are left unanswered, delays ensue and the required outcomes are not achieved. I’ve therefore purposely minimised the amount of text in this example.

Performance test planning is a critical part in project delivery and it’s hard to do it well. At the time of planning, it’s often necessary to make assumptions and consult with subject matter experts to get into the detail. Assumptions need to be documented and validated. It is very true that “no plan survives contact with the enemy” however, the value in planning is not the final document. The real value is the exercise of really thinking about what is needed, what the dependencies are and what activity needs to be undertaken. Having done so massively increases the chance of successful delivery and makes the necessary pivots and changes much easier. By (really) thinking about and completing each section of this performance test plan template in as much detail as possible, you’ll have a really good test plan.

Please let me know if you find this useful or if you’ve any suggestions on how it can be improved.