End-To-End Testing
Business Processes
Today's business processes include mobile services in some parts of the end-to-end process. Examples:
- Web Self-Care registration: with mobile operator self-care registration via web, the customer needs to enter an SMS token sent to his handset
- Electronic Banking: prior to fulfilling a direct debit order, the customer is required to enter an SMS token sent to his handset by the bank
- Voucher recharge: the customer initiates a voucher recharge via web. The confirmation indicating completion of the operation is delivered to him via SMS
These are some examples for business processes - including mobile services - from the end-to-end perspective. Cases described use SMS, but USSD and SIM-Toolkit-Applications may also be valid choices.
Active monitoring concepts
Active monitoring concepts for such business processes can follow different strategies and techniques:
| Technique: | Request page at regular intervals |
| Result: | Metrics on availability of the landing page, not including user-experience parameters like first contentful paint (FCP), largest contentful paint (LCP), total blocking time (TBT) or speed index (SI). The test does not provide much user-oriented information nor any indication on back-end service availability. It just states, that the given URL can be accessed |
| Process coverage: | Minimal, just the availability of the entry point |
| Technique: | Request landing page at regular intervals, using e.g. a headless browser, or another browser simulation |
| Result: | Metrics on availability and loading time of landing page and related internal and external resources. Typical user-experience parameters like first contentful paint (FCP), largest contentful paint (LCP), total blocking time (TBT) or speed index (SI) are included. Results in good indication of end-customer-experienced page speed in initial phase of the process. Almost no indication of back-end service availability |
| Process coverage: | Better, but still minimal |
| Technique: | Trigger sub-laying web-services to login to the system; request and analyze web-service elements; logout - all on web-service level |
| Result: | Metrics on availability and performance of related web-services. No indication on end-customer-experienced service-quality in browser. A potential mobile part is not involved. No metrics on end-to-end processes |
| Process coverage: | Partial, no end-customer related metrics |
| Technique: | Log in to the system; request follow-up pages and log out, using e.g. a headless browser or another browser simulation |
| Result: | Metrics on availability and performance from end-customer perspective; provides insight on front-end-, back-end- and related services performance for pure web based processes |
| Process coverage: | Complete for pure web based processes |
| Technique: | Log in to the system; request follow-up pages; order services; log out and monitor service delivery, using e.g. a headless browser or another browser simulation for portal journey and other adapters to monitor channels, such as SMS / email |
| Result: | Metrics from end-customer-perspective of complete process involving all digital communication channels; provides insight into front-end, back-end and related service performance of processes |
| Process coverage: | Complete for all digital parts |
This small comparison demonstrates that active service monitoring solutions can differ largely in process coverage, expressiveness, and also technical solution. The needs of customers vary. Some of them are only interested in SLAs regarding availability and speed of partial elements, such as web-services. Other have a strong focus on end-customer experience and require metrics on availability and performance of end-to-end processes. Mileage varies.
Our role is to translate business requirements into organizational and technical solutions.
ADVENAGE contribution
ADVENAGE has a long track record in development and deployment of quality management solutions in the Telco business. We have a strong background in development of BSS and web-based solutions in the telecommunications industry.
In addition, we have profoundly supported major European Telco companies in migration projects comprising customer and business readiness testing.
Our contribution to your company's project may include
- definition of reasonable service level agreements (SLAs)
- test concept development (what, how, tools)
- test case development
- test case implementation
- alerting and reporting solutions
Mobile ADVENAGE SMS Probe assists customers in consolidating the web and mobile worlds with continuous active monitoring of performance data of digital processes. All major SMS Probe features (Voice, SMS, USSD, SAT services) can be accessed in simple ways from test frameworks such as Jest, Cypress or Puppeteer.
For larger customer and business readiness tests, we have customizable solutions for inventory management (SIM-cards, subscriptions and vouchers), as well as incident reporting available. They integrate with tools like GitHub Issues or Atlassian's Jira.
Get in contact with us.