The Test Bed team has just published a new guide for project managers to explain the options, decisions, and steps to get started as a new Test Bed user.

The Test Bed has been successfully enabling conformance testing for cross-border IT projects for several years. Although each project is distinct in its needs and challenges, numerous commonalities exist, both in the final conformance testing setup used as well as in the process to get there. The Test Bed team has learned from this experience to fine tune its service offerings but also the steps in bringing on-board new users. This on-boarding process has now also been thoroughly explained in the Test Bed’s getting started guide for project managers.

This new guide is targeted to projects’ decision makers, and discusses the steps involved when becoming a new Test Bed user. It addresses the initial question of whether the Test Bed is a good fit for a project, proceeding then to cover the decisions to be made based on available options and the project’s characteristics. The guide also describes the interactions to be expected with the Test Bed team, starting from the initial contact leading up to the conformance testing setup going live.

The new management on-boarding guide, part of the Test Bed’s series of online guides, allows prospective users to be aware of what to expect when starting with the Test Bed. It provides a natural second stop after the Test Bed’s value proposition, for project managers who are considering supporting their project with a conformance testing service.

Keep in mind nonetheless that the Test Bed does not offer only a conformance testing solution. For projects where content validation is more appropriate, the Test Bed already provides detailed getting-started guides that cover both the process involved as well as the detailed configuration and use of validators:

• The XML validation guide for XML data using XML Schema and Schematron.
• The RDF validation guide for RDF data using SHACL shapes.
• The JSON validation guide for JSON data using JSON Schema.
• The CSV validation guide for CSV data using Table Schema.

The latest management on-boarding guide makes it easier to get started as a new Test Bed user before diving into more detailed and technical tutorials. Details on the Test Bed itself can be found in its Joinup space with its value proposition being a good starting point for newcomers. Finally, to remain updated of all the latest Test Bed news:

• Join the Test Bed’s community and subscribe to its news feed using your favourite RSS reader, or by managing your email notifications.
• Follow ISA²'s social media channels (Twitter, LinkedIn) for updates on the Test Bed and other interoperability solutions.