Playing the Numbers: Assigning EFT Testing Priorities

Next, Priority 4 events are those that would be desirable to test if the schedule permits. For example, the addition of multiple languages, or new "bells and whistles” features or functionality, designed to attract a new population of customers, may not be available due to application failure. When the new functionality is properly tested prior to deployment, these features are readily available and serve to enhance the institution's competitive advantage. However, if EFT testing is rudimentary and failures result, these new customers are dissatisfied by the service they receive from the institution.

Tests for Priority 4 events guard against failures that may create only trivial problems. While it would be desirable to run these tests, they need not be completed if time or resources are severely constrained.
Finally, there are Ad hoc tests. These tests don't show up on our risk assessment graph (and may not show up in your initial test plan), but are still considered essential to comprehensive EFT testing. Often these tests are variations of scheduled tests—tests that are the result of "what if…” thinking on your part. For example, you might add some Ad hoc tests because of problems or anomalies you uncover during the execution of your test plan.

Designing the Best Tests for Each Electronic Payment Event

After the events are prioritized according to the risk to the financial institution, the next step is to determine which test cases will best verify the features or functions associated with the prioritized events. Test cases describe inputs, actions, or events, as well as expected application responses. The process of developing test cases requires detailed analysis of application operation, so this development is best assigned to personnel most familiar with the industry in which an application is to be deployed.

Conclusion

By determining which tests are critical to the proper operation of applications, and then prioritizing those tests to take maximum effective advantage of your EFT testing resources, your organization can ensure that applications are deployed with a minimum of "undesirable features” (commonly known as bugs). With careful planning and prudent use of time and personnel resources, your organization can implement upgraded and new feature-rich applications with fewer post-production headaches.

About Automated EFT Test Tools

If you intend to test early and often, it makes sense to try to automate the reliable and repeatable manual test cases that you have created. With an automated test tool, you can quickly run (and re-run) scripts of detailed test cases on demand. However, with the best automated test tools, you are not limited to simply playing back a rote test script. Imagine taking your current manual tests and manipulating fields, messages, and transaction sequences—enhancing your current test plan or expanding it with completely new tests. In this way, you are not only testing faster, you are also testing more thoroughly than you could previously.

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