Testing SOA could be viewed as a complex computing problem. With any complex problem,  the key  is  to break  it down  into smaller, more manageable components and build quality  into  these deliverables.

The foundations  to successful SOA  testing are as  follows:

• Equal weighting of  testing effort  throughout  the project  life cycle. Many organizations still  fail  to recognize the real benefits of static and formal review techniques during the early stages of the project. Most or all of  the  testing effort comes  too  late at  the end of  the project  life cycle. More  testing effort will be  required at a service  (program)  level.
• The SOA test team  is a blend of business domain and  technology experts.
• Design  the  project  test  approach  alongside  the  project  business  and  technical  requirements. Budget  for  the Test  team  to be  involved  from  the start of  the project.
• Implement Quality Controls  throughout  the project  life cycle.
• Security Testing  is not an end of project activity! Design and Plan Security  testing  from  the start of  the
  project.
• Test  tools are a must!

How do you test SOA architecture? You don’t. Instead, you learn how to break down the architecture to its component parts, working  from  the most primitive  to  the most sophisticated,  testing each component, then the integration of the holistic architecture. In other words, you have to divide the architecture into domains,  such  as  services,  security,  and  governance  and  test  each  domain  separately  using  the recommended approach and  tools.

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