Most analyses of e-commerce fall into one of two extremes: conservative assessments of its immediate impact based on its current technical limitations, or hand-waving discussions of the unbounded vistas eventually to be conquered through certain broadly-described features of the new economy ventures. In the context of financial services, this whitepaper highlights the need and opportunity to anticipate more specifically how the impact of e-commerce is likely to grow over time as technology and the business environment evolve. To illustrate this process, we examine the relentless extension of PC technology to successively broader areas of the computer markets. As with PCs, the analysis of inherent competitive advantages of the new e-commerce services can be used to shed light on the broad outlines of the future market structure of the financial services industry. Unlike the continuing growth in the computer industry triggered by the PC, however, the emerging opportunities in financial services are unlikely to generate sufficient new value to offset the resulting declines in current business lines.

There are many different approaches to software testing; and while any approach can be successful to some degree, a firm can increase its potential for a successful software automation project by applying the most appropriate solution. This book discusses how Project Managers can evaluate alternative approaches to testing and select the best method for their project.

Testing is not a one time activity. It should be conducted throughout the Project and during all phases of the Systems Development Lifecycle (SDLC). Managers who skip steps risk increasing overall costs. This book provides a detailed description of the testing process, along with guidelines and checklists that can help testing project managers succeed.

The early chapters identify the key participants in the testing process, the various types of tests that can be performed, and the test project categories that can exist when validating an application. Once this groundwork has been defined, the book starts the discussion about planning, executing and controlling projects. This discussion continues by describing how to build a Master Test Plan that includes three major parts: The Summary Test Plan, the Detailed Test Plans and the Project Plan.

The Master Test Plan contains the overall objectives and strategy for the testing, and it forms the basis for developing a Detailed Test Plan for each major test that is performed (Functional, End-to-End, Parallel, etc.). All of the tasks that are identified in the Master Test Plan and in the Detailed Test Plans are brought together to establish the testing Project Plan.

To implement the Project Plan a series of test procedures must be defined, developed and implemented. The book discusses the testing process for business-related functions, and identifies some common technical testing conditions that are seen most often in software testing for financial services firms. The steps necessary for managing this test process and the related administrative activities are reviewed in detail.

The book goes on to review the important activities that are required for managing testing automation and the steps that a project manager should take to close a testing project. Since most large projects involve using some form of automated testing tools, the book offers an evaluation of several testing vendors and their tools.

Increasingly, large testing projects are being outsourced, so the book also discusses how a project manager can determine if the testing effort can be outsourced, and if so, how this process should be managed.

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