A testing strategy is an important step. Indeed, tests must be carried out in each ERP solution design. A testing strategy is an approach that promotes better risk management. In other words, testing a software package before implementing it makes it possible to improve and optimize it. Why and how to develop a testing strategy for a software package?

Why create a testing strategy for a software package?

For a large project, there are generally 15 test categories. These different categories can be grouped into two main classes: solution tests and technical certification tests. Learn more about the 15 test categories in the following table.

A test strategy is adapted to the project. Since every project is different, each testing strategy will be different. It is therefore developed after analyzing all the potential problems of a solution. Obviously, we will have to further test the portions of the solution that are the most complex and for which defects cause the greatest impacts.

Throughout the execution of the test strategy, business process experts and software experts work together. The teams are busy preparing test scenarios and executing them. Sharing the knowledge of business and software experts is essential. Their collaboration makes it possible to achieve optimal parametrization of the software package.

How do you create a testing strategy for a software package?

Specialized test management tools are used in order to properly monitor the activities of each category and to measure their progress. These tools make it possible to manage test scenarios, results, monitor the resolution of anomalies and prepare for reporting.

The tests will be performed by the project team in controlled computing environments. It is recommended to install a total of eight environments in addition to the production environment.

Throughout the execution of the tests, it is important to provide an adequate level of technical support. A team of experts in infrastructure, operating systems, databases and software packages will be dedicated to the project. This team will install the equipment and software packages, ensure their administration and performance, apply the necessary patches and take care of the backup copies and the refreshing of the environments.

Test scenarios

Test scenarios prepared during a project are an asset to be preserved and reused during subsequent projects to upgrade or add features. They also serve as a basis for documenting business processes and for developing user training materials.

It is possible to speed up the preparation of test scenarios by using a bank of predefined scenarios. Some software publishers and consulting firms have, in their intellectual capital, sets of test scenarios. They can be made available to their customers.

Investing in test automation is not always appropriate. This decision will be heavily influenced by the quantity of potential regression test cycles, the number of annual commissionings, and the nature of the tests involved.

The objective of a test strategy is to control all the variables introduced during the various test categories. This approach makes it easier to isolate, diagnose and resolve detected anomalies. The main variables encountered are: infrastructure, software packages, parametrization, data as well as interfaces.

In conclusion, changes to the configuration and parametrization of the software package must be managed by a central group independent of the test teams. Why? So that configuration changes are made in a controlled manner and allow them to be replicated in a uniform and concerted manner in all environments. Finally, configuration control makes it possible to document the differences between test environments. The purpose of this control is to minimize situations where it is not possible to explain why a software package behaves differently from one environment to another.