Software Engineering

7.2.2.2  Cost associated with testing the software product
Identifying the magnitude of the software test and evaluation effort must be 
accommodated within the confines of project scope and resources. Testing occurs 
throughout the software implementation stage and must emphasize the achievement 
of specified performance measures. Functional requirements identify 
what
 the soft-
ware must do, while performance measures address 
how well
 a function must be 
accomplished. Some requirements may be specified that cannot be demonstrated 
without special test facilities or equipment. Others may be cost prohibitive to qual-
ify prior to delivery. If a requirement precludes the establishment of a clear or cost-
effective test approach, then the requirement should be highlighted within the test 
plan to elevate this situation.
An example of this would be an Internet-based game that permits thousands of 
real-time users to interact within a digital world. It may be challenging and cost 
prohibitive to conduct performance testing with the anticipated number of users. 
Therefore, the approach to assessing the performance of the software product under 
extreme conditions must be able to extrapolate and forecast performance measures 
utilizing advanced load testing tools and techniques.