7 key considerations for testing to get a successful ERP transformation

What to expect when you are testing your ERP transformation 7 key considerations

Testing is a vitally important process in any ERP transformation. A deciding factor in measuring a transformation’s level of success, it’s crucial for organizations to ensure that, when the testing phase begins, stakeholders and colleagues are fully prepared and aware of what actions they’re expected to perform.

This can be challenging for many organizations for a variety of reasons: resource constraints, change management frictions, complicated finance systems, and internal funding issues. Navigating these obstacles can cause delays and disrupt the testing process.

As an experienced implementation partner, Strada is aware of the hurdles organizations are often forced to contend with, and it’s important to us to provide the necessary support and make sure roles and expectations are clear before the testing phase begins.

To help your organization prepare, here are 7 critical considerations that you should take into account before testing gets underway to ensure the process is both smooth and successful.

1. Time and resources required for ERP testing process

Time and resources are valuable commodities, and nothing puts those limitations to the test like the demands of an ERP transformation.

This is why it is essential for organizations to have a clear understanding of the time and effort involved in the testing phase, and the importance of identifying roles. Remember to:

• Identify your Test Leads and testers early on – It is the responsibility of the your Test Lead to introduce the testing methodology to the team. The sooner the role is filled and known to the team, the sooner they can begin communicating the methodology. Similarly, waiting to identify testers can slow the testing process and cause complications.
• Don’t underestimate the effort involved – Testing can be a long and arduous process. Remember that your testing teams also must attend to their business as usual tasks and responsibilities during the testing process. Overloading your resources or stretching them too thin won’t save you time—it will only cost you performance quality. Strada recommends that companies reserve testing times on calendars and create dedicated testing labs to keep teams from becoming distracted or overwhelmed.
• Don’t underestimate the time needed for end-to-end test planning – It’s not just testing that’s time-consuming. Planning can and even should take time, too. Companies should remember that planning for end-to-end testing once the testing phase is already underway will take longer. The sooner you start planning, the more prepared you’ll be.

2. Having comprehensive test scenarios to boast confidence

The testing process hinges on having a thorough variety of test cases and variations. The idea is to test every aspect of the system in every foreseeable way. It can be difficult, however, for organizations lacking experience with their new technology to provide comprehensive test scenarios or even have a complete understanding of what those scenarios are actually testing. Look to your implementation partner to support you with test scenarios for your chosen platform. 

At the same time, testing can be a time-consuming process, so it’s important not to overload it with more cases than can be covered in the agreed timeline.

Working closely with your implementation partner can help companies devise scenarios that are not only comprehensive but economical, meaning they can be used again when new features or releases are deployed in the future. This will ensure that testing is thorough, precise, and efficient, but also future-proof.

3. Building effective security without bottlenecks or delays

Security is obviously a major concern in any endeavor involving sensitive and/or personal data. Even during an internal process like testing, companies understandably want to err on the side of too much security rather than too little. However, being too strict in your security measures (e.g., limiting approvals to a single person in a workstream) can result in bottlenecks and cause delays.

The important thing is to make sure in advance that security roles are clearly defined and communicated, and that role assignments are structured to ensure that testers have the necessary access to complete their assigned tests efficiently.

4. Building familiarity into testing for efficient logging of defects and processes

An effective testing phase requires a degree of process agility. Working with your implementation partner, familiarize yourself as much as possible with testing procedures to minimize delays resulting from:

• Unfamiliarity with the test management tool, leading to delayed updates and logging of defects.
• Failing to respond promptly to questions in the test management tool, allowing tickets to stagnate.
• Waiting to log defects until late in the test cycle, or failing to retest defects as they are resolved, leading to unnecessary carryover and delayed resolutions.
• Failing to provide the functional team with enough detail in the defects, leading to delayed resolutions.

Launching the testing phase with a working knowledge of the test management tool and testing procedures will make the process faster and more effective.

5. Having adequate training to stick to limited time frames and budgets

It is almost impossible to overemphasize the importance of training. Organizations contending with limited time and budget constraints are often tempted to abbreviate or forgo this part of the transformation process, but it is crucial, especially when it comes to testing.

Companies should adhere to the training recommendations suggested by their vendors and implementation partners and take full advantage of the sessions offered. Having a working knowledge of the new system provides a strong foundation for testing that system. For this reason, training sessions should include selected testers and provide all participants with hands-on opportunities.

6. Being aware of key requirements in planning phase for clear decision making in transformation process

As with the other considerations listed here, when it comes to requirements, advance planning is key. Delaying key decisions regarding requirements, or delays in approving requirements during the transformation process will delay configuration delivery which will, in turn, delay testing. Clear and firm decision making is needed upfront.

Similarly, it’s essential to involve key stakeholders in requirements from the beginning to prevent having to revisit designs or retest functionality down the road. Late changes to requirements can have a dramatic impact on the end-to-end testing process, so having clearly defined requirements early on will help streamline the testing process.

7. Planning integrations testing to prevent delays

Finally, it’s important to remember that the testing process involves multiple steps and stages with a Wave delivery structure. Following functional or end-to-end testing, there is still integration testing, and the results may reveal a need for configuration changes.

To prevent delays in the integration testing stage, advance planning is once again a top priority. Organizations should identify integration testing contacts before test planning begins. Internal systems should be designed, built, and ready to load WD files. And time and resources need to be allocated to plan for data staging.

Taking these steps will help ensure that, as you enter the final stages of the testing process, you avoid potential delays and complications that could slow or reverse your set course.

Smooth and Successful Testing

The testing process can seem intimidating, especially to organizations working against particularly challenging constraints and complications. Fortunately, there are ways to help guarantee a smoother, more effective testing phase.

Taking into account these 7 considerations, working closely with your implementation partner on advanced planning, and taking advantage of the training programs offered can help ensure your organization is prepared and informed.

Uncovering defects is the purpose of the testing process. There will always be defects that need to be addressed and resolved. But a fully trained and well-prepared test team will be able to resolve them quickly, knowledgeably, and effectively to ensure you get the maximum return on investment from your ERP transformation.

Strada is intentional about reducing your risk by leveraging smart tools and a proven testing methodology, with Workday automated testing modules improve your ERP transformation today.