Load testing can be a complex activity, from understanding requirement, planning, defining the tests accurately to running them effectively. Reporting the load test is mostly overlooked. Load testing activity is not complete until the result is properly analysed, interpreted and reported. Performance reporting should follow the same basic rules of reporting:
- “Who-What-When-Where-Why-How”
- A concise opening statement of theme
- And some concrete argument to back up the theme statement
A performance report should deliver a high-level overview of how a web site is performing under load and also contain detailed visibility into the internal structure of the site and its infrastructure. Reports should illustrate the context and highlights of performance clearly so that anyone could interpret them without having to be an expert about the data and metrics used to reach these indicators.
The report should also have some degree of customizability, allowing the information to be re-contrasted as needed – often the most compelling analysis involves only the interaction of two or three key elements of the data gathered and the report should be able to be re-formatted to showcase them. Also, the ability to get the reports quickly and having multiple pass/run of the test results so that it is easier to gauge improvement over time.
Thus a good test report should be able to show:
A good report identifies and reports on the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of the website you are testing.
A good report should also be able to address discrete time duration, be it an instant test of a single component, or a duration test of multiple scenarios on a website happening over a weekend or longer period.
Where – A good test report should also show where the test was carried (infrastructure and hosts of the website)
Report should have some method to plainly identify the reason why the KPI objectives are not being met, by indicating an issue on an individual object or subsystem like graphical representation of the performance of each request made to the website. It helps in determining a course of action for possible solution.