What is a primary goal of system integration testing?

The primary goal of system integration testing is to ensure that systems or components work together as intended. This form of testing focuses on the interactions between integrated components or systems, verifying that their combined functionalities operate correctly and meet defined specifications. It allows for the identification of issues that may arise due to the interactions between different modules or systems, which may not be evident when testing components in isolation.

By validating the integrated systems, testers can ensure that data flows correctly between systems, that performance standards are met in the integrated environment, and that the overall workflows perform as designed. This is a crucial step before moving on to user acceptance testing or deployment since integration issues can lead to significant functional problems once the software is in use.

Other considerations, such as user interface design, performance of individual components, and finalizing software release documentation, are important elements of the broader software development lifecycle but do not align as closely with the specific objectives of system integration testing.