An enterprise resource planning (ERP) system can be thought of as the nervous system of an organization, connecting the most important core business functions into a seamless, intuitive, and integrated technical solution. Once it is in place, an ERP system can integrate various business functions into an end-to-end solution that is able to streamline, support, and process information from across the entire organization.
The steps that go into delivering a fully functional ERP system can be complex and challenging, but if implementation is successful, employees will be able to perform their work more efficiently and accurately with access to necessary data and reports.
One of the most effective ways to make sure your organization is able to successfully meet its goals is by understanding the role and necessary components of ERP testing.
So if you are about to embark on your own ERP implementation journey, or if you want to make your next deployment more effective, here are five keys to ERP testing success that the experts at TestMonitor want to share with you.
Involve key stakeholders early and often.
Implementing an ERP system will bring dramatic improvements to how your business owners and employees get their jobs done. However, transitioning from the old way of doing business into a new ERP system can be met with nervousness and hesitation.
That’s why it is important to include key stakeholders in the design, build, and testing process early and often. Their feedback is important to not only deliver a system that works and meets their needs, but that is also accepted and championed by these end users.
To support this process, we recommend having a method to easily onboard, track participation, and monitor the resolution of feedback provided by end users, such as a test management solution.
Perform comprehensive testing.
Given the vital and varied functions that ERP systems play in an organization—ranging from human resources and finance to reporting and accounting—it is important that your team fully tests its functionality and performance.
To help ensure you are checking all of the necessary testing requirements, a test management solution can turn functional and performance requirements into test cases and aid in tracking their acceptance. At the same time, the solution can create an audit trail that can be used to verify participation, monitor overall status, and track feedback through to the end.
Have a method to track test cases end to end.
Once testing is underway, it can be difficult to compile and track tester feedback and progress, especially when testers are dispersed.
This is why a solution like TestMonitor can be a game changer, providing an intuitive method to easily track tester feedback, capture screenshots, upload attachments, and leave notes—all in one place. This will give your developers all the information they need to easily manage, track, and remediate issues.
Leverage test case libraries and templates as much as possible.
One of the biggest advantages of using an industry-leading test management platform is that it allows test managers to quickly set up test cases and manage the launch of test runs. This not only will give them more time to focus on the overall testing experience, but also ensure the consistency and rigor that ERP testing requires.
For example, test managers can easily set up and assign testers, allocate test cases, and capture feedback for tests based on templates, custom designs, or previous runs stored in a test case library.
Give your test managers the tools to succeed.
With a large number of tests, potentially hundreds of functional and technical requirements, and dozens of stakeholders and end users, utilizing an industry-leading test management system like TestMonitor can make each step of the ERP testing process more efficient.
From giving testing managers the ability to quickly set up test cases, launch test runs, and track the results, to providing testers with an intuitive mechanism to document their detailed feedback, test management systems can drastically reduce the administrative burden on your managers during testing.
Take the next step!
Although ERP implementations can be complex and stressful, there are plenty of tools and best practices out there to help your team have a more successful experience.
One of the most important ways to find success is by understanding the key role that testing—and a test management solution like TestMonitor—can play in the overall implementation process. TestMonitor is designed specifically to help with each phase and type of ERP testing, and is proven to simplify and improve your organization's ability to plan, execute, and track testing efforts from end to end.
Ready to get started? We welcome you to learn more about TestMonitor with your own 14-day free trial.
