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Effective software testing is simply not optional. If you work in ERP testing, you know that a single disruption can bring a business to its knees. How can you prevent bugs and downtime while maximizing efficiency? What should you have your eye on, strategy-wise, as we head into 2024?
We’ve put together a list of 24 key factors that can help you ensure you’re testing thoroughly and efficiently.
Testing is a collective effort. Is everyone involved in your testing protocols that should be, or are you leaving people out? Involvement from upper management, development teams, and end users conducting UAT testing is essential. No-Code test automation allows anyone in your org to create tests, not just coders.
Examine your current business processes and integrations to comprehend what and why you are testing. This in-depth understanding enhances the accuracy and efficiency of your ERP testing strategy, preventing both over-testing and under-testing.
Create a detailed testing plan visible to all stakeholders, ensuring alignment on testing priorities.
Define Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that are specific and measurable to monitor testing progress effectively.
Set realistic timelines based on the size and complexity of the ERP system. Are you aware of all relevant update cycles and business deadlines? Be sure your plan is thorough.
Ensure a well-balanced ERP testing team comprising business leaders, developers, QA engineers, and business users, with a clear understanding of their roles and testing deliverable timelines.
Adopt shift-left testing for efficiency, addressing potential issues and avoiding bottlenecks early in the development process.
Continuous testing ensures consistent optimal performance of your ERP system, detecting bugs before they become significant issues.
The reliability of test results depends on the quality of test data. Utilize data from user surveys, performance audits, or automated test data management tools like Opkey.
Using a separate test environment reduces the risk of errors during system launch, providing a secure space for testing various configurations without jeopardizing the production system.
Document every aspect of the testing process to avoid oversights, ensure accountability, and serve as a valuable learning manual for future testers. Automated test documentation tools are recommended for accuracy and compliance.
Record and communicate any changes in the ERP system to the testing team, ensuring thorough testing of new features and bug fixes before updates are implemented.
Utilize pre-defined test cases for ERP systems to save time and resources, eliminating the need to create tests from scratch.
User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is critical, and ample time should be allocated for end users to thoroughly test the system.
Ensure modifications to the ERP system do not compromise existing functionality through regression testing. Functional and integration testing validate individual features and interactions between ERP components, ensuring smooth business processes.
Conduct security and performance testing in distinct environments to isolate the impact of modifications on software functionality.
Ensure adherence to industry-specific compliance protocols to prevent regulatory fines and additional development costs.
End-to-end testing validates the entire system, including software, hardware, and interacting systems like 3rd party accounting or marketing systems.
Perform User Acceptance Testing diligently, as it is crucial for application performance and user adoption rates.
No-code testing empowers non-technical employees to contribute to testing, a valuable asset for business ERP systems where users may lack technical training.
Incorporate negative testing to identify unforeseen bugs promptly, enhancing the ERP software testing process and providing insights into software behavior in unfavorable scenarios.
Conduct smaller tests regularly to receive continuous feedback, mitigating the accumulation of technical debt.
Our ultimate recommendation for testing ERP software is to leverage an intelligent test automation platform like Opkey. Automation testing proves cost-effective, reduces risk, and is significantly faster than manual testing, enabling quick adaptation to changing business needs.
Be aggressive in scanning for and predicting defects. Don’t wait for mistakes to occus that could lead to downtime. You won’t regret it!
