CP_AUTOMATION/tests/load_tests/MACHINE_SPEED_OPTIMIZATION.md

Machine-Speed Optimization - World Class Automation

🚀 Objective

Transform the automation from human-like behavior to machine-speed execution while maintaining 100% reliability.

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✅ Optimizations Applied

1. Removed Human-Like Delays (Major Impact)

• Removed: RandomizedWait.wait_for_question_answer() - was adding 2-6 seconds
• Replaced: Minimal 0.1s wait for click to register
• Savings: ~2-6 seconds per question

2. Smart Page Load Check (Major Impact)

• Optimized: wait_for_page_load() now checks if page is already loaded
• Returns immediately if document.readyState == "complete"
• Reduced timeout: 15s → 3s (with early return)
• Savings: ~10-12 seconds per question (when page already loaded)

3. Minimal Loading Indicator Wait (Medium Impact)

• Reduced: wait_for_loading_to_disappear() timeout: 2s → 0.5s
• Reason: Loading indicators disappear instantly or don't exist
• Savings: ~1.5 seconds per question

4. Fast Question Type Detection (Medium Impact)

• Reduced: All question detection timeouts: 2-3s → 0.5s
• Optimized: Smart wait returns immediately if element already visible
• Savings: ~1-2 seconds per question

5. Reduced Element Wait Timeouts (Small Impact)

• Reduced: All WebDriverWait timeouts: 10s → 2s
• Reason: Elements should be ready quickly after page load
• Savings: ~0.5-1 second per question (when elements are ready)

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📊 Performance Comparison

Before Optimization:

• Per Question: ~25 seconds (observed)
• 100 Questions: ~42 minutes (observed)
• Wait Strategy: Human-like, realistic delays

After Machine-Speed Optimization:

• Per Question: ~3-8 seconds (estimated)
• 100 Questions: ~5-13 minutes (estimated)
• Wait Strategy: Machine-speed, minimal delays
• Improvement: 70-80% faster (30+ minutes saved!)

Breakdown (Machine-Speed):

1. Get question type: 0.1-0.5s (was 0.5-3s)
2. Answer question: 0.5-2s (was 2-6s)
3. Click registration: 0.1s (was 2-6s)
4. Click Next + page load: 0.5-2s (was 15-30s)
5. Total: ~1.2-4.5s per question

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🔧 Technical Changes

Files Modified:

1. tests/load_tests/test_generic_load_assessments.py

   • Removed RandomizedWait.wait_for_question_answer()
   • Added minimal 0.1s wait for click registration

2. utils/wait_helpers.py

   • wait_for_page_load(): Smart check, returns immediately if ready
   • wait_for_loading_to_disappear(): Reduced timeout 2s → 0.5s

3. utils/question_answer_helper.py

   • All _element_exists() timeouts: 2-3s → 0.5s
   • All WebDriverWait timeouts: 10s → 2s
   • Smart wait for question container (0.5s instead of hardcoded sleep)

4. pages/domain_assessment_page.py

   • Optimized click_next() with smart waits

5. pages/base_page.py

   • Optimized wait_for_page_load() with smart waits

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⚡ Key Optimizations

1. Early Return Pattern

# Before: Always waits full timeout
WebDriverWait(driver, 15).until(condition)

# After: Returns immediately if ready
if condition_met():
    return
WebDriverWait(driver, 3).until(condition)

2. Minimal Timeouts

• Question detection: 0.5s (was 2-3s)
• Element waits: 2s (was 10s)
• Loading indicator: 0.5s (was 2s)
• Page load: 3s with early return (was 15s)

3. Removed Human-Like Delays

• No "thinking time" after answering
• No "reading time" for options
• No "navigation delay" after clicking
• Minimal wait only for click registration (0.1s)

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🎯 Expected Results

Single Student (100 Questions):

• Before: ~42 minutes
• After: ~5-13 minutes
• Improvement: 70-80% faster

Load Test (100 Students):

• Before: ~42 minutes per student (sequential)
• After: ~5-13 minutes per student (sequential)
• With 30 workers: ~20-40 minutes total (was 2+ hours)

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⚠️ Safety Considerations

1. Explicit Waits Preserved: Still using explicit waits for reliability
2. Smart Waits: Return immediately when ready, don't wait unnecessarily
3. Minimum Timeouts: Reduced but not eliminated (still safe)
4. No Logic Changes: Only wait-time optimizations, no functional changes

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🧪 Testing Recommendations

Phase 1: Single Student Test

python3 tests/load_tests/test_generic_load_assessments.py \
  --csv students_with_passwords_2025-12-15T10-49-08_01.csv \
  --start 0 --end 1 --workers 1 --headless

Expected: Should complete in ~5-13 minutes (was 42 minutes)

Phase 2: Small Batch Test

python3 tests/load_tests/test_generic_load_assessments.py \
  --csv students_with_passwords_2025-12-15T10-49-08_01.csv \
  --start 0 --end 10 --workers 5 --headless

Expected: Should complete in ~10-20 minutes (was 42 minutes per student)

Phase 3: Full Load Test

./scripts/PC1_100_students.sh

Expected: Should complete in ~20-40 minutes (was 2+ hours)

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📈 Success Metrics

• Target: <8 seconds per question (average)
• Target: <15 minutes for 100 questions
• Target: 0% increase in failure rate
• Target: Maintain 100% reliability
• Target: Machine-speed execution (no human-like delays)

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💡 Philosophy

Before: "Simulate human behavior with realistic delays" After: "Machine-speed execution with minimal necessary waits"

The automation now:

• ✅ Returns immediately when conditions are met
• ✅ Uses minimal timeouts (not excessive)
• ✅ Removes all "thinking time" delays
• ✅ Optimizes for speed while maintaining reliability

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Status: ✅ Ready for Testing - Machine-Speed Optimized