Green Testing
There are many methodologies and tools to support testing activities of all calibers and kinds in information technology. But I dare say, here is an angle not seen yet: testing for Green. What would that be?
https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/02/10/16/16/laptop-2055522__340.jpg
I am a firm believer that testing and design should go hand in hand. This belief comes from my many years of practice as an IT application analyst, designer, coder, tester and implementer. It does not come from the current upsurge in concerns with the environment but the time seems ripe for this public disclosure of what have been private professional concerns. Also worth noting that Green is not a popular topic when it comes to testing - yet!
How I see it, Green Testing of software applications has two fundamental dimensions:
Since applications these days runs on multiple channels, this first dimension gets exponentially complex if the scope is extended to include the environmental cost of the hardware used to bring the application to the users. How green are the mainframes, laptops, phones and so many other devices in use?
Need to stop here for fear of scope creep... How to identify, quantify and follow the elements of this dimension could be indeed the stuff of much more in-depth analyses and theses, and maybe at some university someone is already writing a masters or a Ph. D. dissertation on the topic. Or maybe it's already done but certainly it has not hit the mainstream yet.
The second dimension - the testing process itself, involves pretty much the same elements as the first one but it should be much easier to define and quantify because the parameters of the testing activities are normally known and controlled withing the project or product - even in the context of continuous testing and agile. There are also some specific evaluations that could be implemented:
A lot of green talk happens and not only talk. But even in the face of so many environmental disasters and actions, little has really changed in how we conduct daily and professional routines in most parts of the world. Until we do things such as rationing resources out, pre-plan blackouts or put devices and applications on timers, we have not been hit hard enough.
https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2017/02/10/16/16/laptop-2055522__340.jpg
I am a firm believer that testing and design should go hand in hand. This belief comes from my many years of practice as an IT application analyst, designer, coder, tester and implementer. It does not come from the current upsurge in concerns with the environment but the time seems ripe for this public disclosure of what have been private professional concerns. Also worth noting that Green is not a popular topic when it comes to testing - yet!
How I see it, Green Testing of software applications has two fundamental dimensions:
- assessing how green the tested application is; and,
- how green the testing process itself is.
- how much storage does the product require? (storage is not exactly "in the cloud"...those servers are taking up physical space somewhere and some amount of electrical energy, water and other resources, and these are not for free - no matter how the direct or indirect costs are packaged to appear so);
- how long a paper trail (yes, good old paper!) and what amount of paper consumption the product generates once implemented and in use;
- what quantity of other consumables are required and projected (ink... plastics, etc.) for the product to function for a typical use or user, and what is the environmental footprint of those consumables?
Since applications these days runs on multiple channels, this first dimension gets exponentially complex if the scope is extended to include the environmental cost of the hardware used to bring the application to the users. How green are the mainframes, laptops, phones and so many other devices in use?
Need to stop here for fear of scope creep... How to identify, quantify and follow the elements of this dimension could be indeed the stuff of much more in-depth analyses and theses, and maybe at some university someone is already writing a masters or a Ph. D. dissertation on the topic. Or maybe it's already done but certainly it has not hit the mainstream yet.
The second dimension - the testing process itself, involves pretty much the same elements as the first one but it should be much easier to define and quantify because the parameters of the testing activities are normally known and controlled withing the project or product - even in the context of continuous testing and agile. There are also some specific evaluations that could be implemented:
- the dollar figure put on the testing effort should usually be accompanied by a corresponding Green metric;
- if the dollar amount is low and the Green metric is high (expressing a high environmental cost), this should be a cause for concern and reconsideration of the testing process
A lot of green talk happens and not only talk. But even in the face of so many environmental disasters and actions, little has really changed in how we conduct daily and professional routines in most parts of the world. Until we do things such as rationing resources out, pre-plan blackouts or put devices and applications on timers, we have not been hit hard enough.
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