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Dispatching the Demanding Dozen:
Preparing Your Testers to Face The Financial Industry’s Top 12 Challenges
Table 1 The Top 12 Challenges Increasing the Test Burden of Your QA, Regression, and Load Testing Staff (cont.)
| Current or Anticipated Changes |
Ramifications |
Testing Considerations |
| Channel convergence
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Most FIs have separate systems, often from different vendors, managing their various delivery channels (ATM, POS, IVR, branch, internet, etc.) Each system requires its own interface to common services (the core banking system, general ledger, settlement, etc.), resulting in a complex, expensive, and difficult to manage environment. Now, FIs are adopting convergence strategies that connect all delivery channels through a ‘payments hub’ with a common messaging architecture (typically using an open standards protocol such as IFX). The hub services all financial messages and gives the organization a common view to the customer, regardless of the delivery channel chosen.
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Must be able to test legacy system protocols as well as new open standards protocols (like IFX). As the system is developed (then later, as it grows), you must be able to test any new delivery channel and all other delivery channels on the hub to ensure the new channel does not have any negative impact on the existing channels. Must conduct complete systems testing to ensure the payments hub can support new transactions as well as higher transaction volumes. Must also conduct unit testing, regression testing, and stress testing of each delivery channel.
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| Overtaxed payment systems
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Many systems saw their last update prior to Y2K, and are now reaching their limits. Perhaps you have a custom system that does not meet global payment standards, a vendor solution that cannot handle additional transaction volumes, or a static system that cannot easily support new payment instruments.
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Must perform regression and stress testing for any enhanced or replacement system to ensure the system functions reliably as expected. Must verify not only that processing occurs correctly, but that the system can handle projected transaction volumes. Ideally, you benchmark the existing system, then load test the enhanced or replacement payment system to ensure it can process both current and anticipated transaction volumes.
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