How do you plan and execute a successful ERP testing strategy?

Planning an interim round of representative data testing early is a useful tool to determine if all required/ important fields are being retrieved from legacy system.

There are various phases and from organisation to organisation testing tools and methodologies being used . Making sure the tools are properly utilised and test matrix and various test cycles performed.

Parallel run testing with actual production data also helps reduce risk to a large extent. We can run parallel runs when we are closer to Golive.

Depending on the size of the application and users, multiple iterations of integration and system testing are ideal. Data integrity testing is important too. Automated testing can be applied to specific scenarios and use cases and not 100 percent of test cases.

This would sound to a manufacturing and distribution SME, like absolute technical jargon and worrisome complexity. For a typical business the testing of an ERP solution should be relatively simple and a case of testing you business processes through the software through the support of a trusted ERP consultant. After that, you are off and running, off the shelf ERP shouldn't have you testing the ERP vendors solution,it should work almost as you require out of the box. I'm actually wondering if this article is taking a Dev ops view from an ERP internal development perspective, then of course from a QA perspective I'd expect all these things to be part of the standard development build, test and release process.

I’ve been immersed in ERP testing now for over 25 years , and I have to say that we are in a completely different world now to that in which I started. What used to be a dark art, with the old black and green screen AS/400 systems of the millennium, changed little for quite some time as I went through the transition through SAP R/3, Syspro and even Dynamics NAV and AX. The advent of true SaaS solutions like Dynamics 365 Finance and Supply Chain Management have revolutionised the art of ERP testing. Nowadays, users can create simple recordings in minutes of real world business scenarios, and with the incredible integration of the full Microsoft stack, testers can build entire suites of automated tests. I can’t overstate the difference!

Various Approach you do Automated Testing , Manual Testing , Functional Testing , Integration Testing , UAT .Proper uses cases are run through.

Agree entirely with this requirement, the depressing reality is this doesn't occur and software is in the main just updated and then the reality of the non testing is that which bites the organisation immediately after.

Testing types depend on the solutions you are implementing as well as the confidence of the end users in the solution. Testing for quality and compliance is one thing, but is the solution really solving the problem and leaving space for improvement is the main test of all.

The two areas of testing that I see having the most value are data migration testing and integration testing. These are usually best handled using APIs to test -- which is good -- because automating EPR user interfaces can be notoriously difficult and error prone. But, testing user interfaces should not be neglected. Usability is the most important feature to consider when implementing or migrating ERP systems -- because if your users are not happy using it, adoption will never happen. And then, without buy-in from the users, no matter how sound your technical implementation, your ERP strategy will fail.

The Testing Strategy is a critical component of the success of an implementation, it goes beyond planning the scenarios and the people. The strategy needs to be integrated into the overall project plan, and each testing phase should be a milestone clearly identified on the plan. The failure in testing I have observed over 20 years in SAP, comes with poor planning on resources, lack of clarity of the timelines and missing communication with the Business that will perform the test. Therefore, a good Testing Strategy will ensure everyone is clear and committed to what is coming on the this project phase.

Ensure proper testing is done through all phases . Capture results , verify results . Ensure proper usability matrix is validated with test cases.

Define test failure prior to starting, to consider tests that can be rerun same day, after setup, to prevent aggregating test failures.

Testing strategy is very critical right from the initiation of testing to ensuring roll out . Ensuring quality deliverables and effective test strategy to be followed.

The testing strategy needs to incorporate business scenario identification and prioritization as that will ensure that the relevant scenarios are tested. It may not be possible to test all possible permutations, we need to prioritize what needs to be tested to have appropriate coverage.

Ensuring execution is done manually or Automated . Making sure End users validate the testing , proper created test scripts for various test scenarios.

Ensure proper testing execution , capture the ERP Execution patterns.Leverage past testing execution patterns .Prepare proper test plans and testing methdolgy.

Daily standup meetings are an effective way to briefly communicate barriers, absence backfill, and real time prioritization if needed.

Depending on the phase of testing, daily test reporting(UAT) or weekly test reporting (integration testing) is essential along with the test and defect metrics.

Mock runs of daily production activities with end-users and documenting each step as a work instruction is useful for testing full cycles and making sure nothing is missed in the testing phase of the solutions.

Ensuring all the Test cases are validated , all the test scenarios are captured , any external dependencies are properly tested.

Some challenges that I have observed in my experience are not explaining the benefits of the solution to the users tending to make them test the solution as another system update, they don't test the solutions as a new one and we won't get the insights that we are looking for, it may be because it is an additional activity or tends to deviate from the normal process. Testing should be done to cover all scenarios, the ones that are not used today and not tested may fail the process later.

Ensure overcome and mitigate testing challenges , use proper testing methodology , try to gauge potential risks and threats.Use Root cause analysis.

The key to automating the testing process , is ensuring you have clarity of what you plan to test, and to what extent. Don’t automate the stuff that everyone else will have tested . Focus on a small number of much more complex scenarios that are specific to your business. Identify the 20% of scenarios that represent the 80% of your ‘immediate risk’ ; The scenarios that would cause a manufacturing stoppage or supply chain crunch. If you are using an industry standard solution , there will be 10,000 other companies testing G/L journal posting. There may be none testing the backflush of serial and lot controlled items, in a warehouse managed, but not license plate controlled location , with automatic reservation for items with ECM turned on.