The rise of disruptive modern technologies has highlighted the limitations of legacy systems, which often hinder innovation and growth. To address this, organizations are increasingly embracing legacy modernization initiatives to boost operational efficiency, scalability, and competitiveness. However, a seamless transition requires a well-defined quality engineering (QE) strategy. This strategy must prioritize comprehensive testing to ensure the modernized system not only replicates legacy functionalities but also aligns with evolving business objectives.
Quality Engineering Objectives in Legacy Modernization
A successful legacy modernization initiative hinges on achieving the following core testing objectives:
- Ensuring functional equivalence: The modernized system must replicate all functionalities of the legacy system without compromising features. Any deficiencies in this area can trigger user dissatisfaction and operational disruptions. Rigorous testing is paramount to attaining feature parity.
- Focus on integration testing: The modernized system must seamlessly integrate with any residual legacy components. Comprehensive testing is essential to identify and address potential integration issues that could cause disruptions.
- Non-functional testing: Modernization extends beyond functional parity to encompass performance, security, and scalability. Testing should ensure the new system’s ability to handle peak loads, withstand cyberattacks, and deliver a user-friendly experience.
Key Considerations for Robust and Reliable Testing
To ensure the success of legacy modernization, the following factors must be incorporated into the testing strategy:
- Modernization approach: The testing strategy should be tailored to the specific modernization approach employed (rehosting, refactoring, etc.) to maximize effectiveness.
- Compliance approach: The modernized system must adhere to all relevant regulations. Compliance testing helps mitigate legal risks and reputational damage.
- Third-party systems integration: Thorough testing is essential to ensure seamless interaction with external systems.
- Rollout and rollback strategy: A well-defined testing plan, including rollback procedures, is vital for a smooth transition to the new system.
- Data migration testing: Testing the data migration process is important to safeguard valuable information and prevent disruptions during the transition.
Harnessing the Right Tools for an Enhanced Quality Engineering Strategy
Leveraging automation and AI can significantly enhance testing efficiency and effectiveness in legacy modernization:
- Test Automation tools/frameworks: Employ test automation tools to streamline repetitive tasks, allowing skilled testers to focus on complex scenarios. Consider low-code/no-code solutions to further accelerate test automation process.
- AI-first testing: Utilize AI for tasks such as test scenario creation, automated exploratory testing, test data generation, and addressing complex scenarios arising from code changes.
- Infosys offerings/solutions: Leverage Infosys services and solutions like Infosys generative AI testing platform, Infosys data quality engineering, Infosys microservices performance testing, Infosys cloud infrastructure validation, and Infosys accessibility platform to augment complex testing requirements.
Conclusion
A robust and collaborative QE strategy is the cornerstone of a successful modernized system. It delivers exceptional value, propels business growth, and ensures long-term success. By integrating comprehensive reconciliation as well as initiating early and incremental integration testing with AI-powered solutions, organizations can maximize efficiency and test coverage. Fostering cross-team communication promotes a unified approach, while continuous refinement based on lifecycle feedback loops ensures agility. This iterative QE strategy is a future-proof approach to streamline testing across multi-year engagements.