Testing

What is testing?
When companies make sure that their system works properly by testing it. For example, for a company to test a validation rule in a database they would enter data in a field that would go against the validation rules for that particular field - if the data is not allowed to be entered they know that particuar validation rule works properly, they would record the results so they have a record of it and know what needs improving.

Why is it important?
Because without it systems will be used or products will be sent out that may not actually work which would displease customers and give the company a very bad reputation

Give two possible consequences to a company of not testing
Current orders might not go through properly so they would lose money directly and the company would loose trade in the future. They would also have to spend more time on correcting it afterwards if things go wrong which would also cost them money because they have to employ the workers to fix it.

Give two reasons why it is important to have a test plan
Because it is a much more organised way of testing that means the workers can keep track of what they are doing, also if somebody left the company and they were half way through tesing if they had a test plan somebody could easily pick up where they left off.

Consequences of not Testing

What was the problem?
The company Protx that deals with online payments was upgrading and a problem occurred which meant that thousands of retailers lost business because orders were failing.

What were the consequences?
People could not pay for products so businesses lost money and possibly future trade. The customers did not get the products when they wanted them and Protx has given itself a bad name. Transactions would not be secure so hackers would be able to get hold of customer information – crimes such as identity theft and fraud could occur

How could testing have prevented this?
They could have tested it on one company first and then could have identified problems and see if it worked efficiently. If a problem was identified it could have been solved and avoided the situation.