In the inaugural article, we touched on key aspects of ERP, such as what it is, its modules, the significance of testing, and a preparatory guide. This article will delve deeper into the more pragmatic details of ERP testing, including creating a quality assurance plan, constructing a test plan, devising a test suite, formulating test cases, and outlining a strategy for test execution.
You can peruse the primary part of our ERP testing tutorial here.
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To kick off, let’s cast our eyes on how to formulate a test plan for ERP testing. The creation of a test plan is vital for a competent and successful execution and should encompass a variety of information such as objectives, quality metrics, features to be tested both manually and with automation tools, project environment, team framework, resource requirements, testing schedule, testing deliverables, test execution infrastructure, testing model, assumptions, dependencies, restrictions, bug tracking mechanisms, bug reporting instruments, and acceptance criteria. It provides an expansive overview of the testing process.
Here is an example of a test plan for an ERP implementation project:
(The information detailed in this sample test plan is hypothetical and strictly for demonstration purposes)
ERP Quality Assurance Plan
Achieving quality assurance is a pivotal milestone in any ERP implementation project. It entails the collaboration and dedication of a range of stakeholders, from the implementation team, software vendor, hosting provider, business team, technical team, and testing team, to the customer team. Every stakeholder brings unique responsibilities and expertises to contribute to the project. Joint teamwork can steer the project to meet the anticipated quality standards.
ERP Test Plan
An ERP test plan ought to consist of a variety of information necessary for a successful implementation. It outlines the objectives, quality metrics, features to be tested both manually and via automation tools, project environment, team structure, resource necessities, testing schedule, tesing deliverables, test execution infrastructure, testing framework, assumptions, dependencies, limitations, bug tracking systems, bug reporting tools, and acceptance criteria.
(The featured sample test plan encapsulates a range of sections that should be part of every ERP test plan. The information given is fictitious and is made available for demonstrative reasons)
Project Overview
The project is the integration of ABC Manufacturing ERP, a comprehensive ERP solution specifically designed for the manufacturing industry. The client, XYZ Petrochemicals LLC, is a manufacturing enterprise headquartered in New York. The ERP system will link the corporate headquarters with numerous branches, warehouses, production plants, and marketing offices via the Internet, WAN, Wi-Fi, and Cloud infrastructure.
The ERP system accommodates a series of modules including Accounting, Finance, Budget, Inventory, Fixed Asset, Customers, Vendors, CRM, Sales, Purchase, Payments, Contracts, Human Capital, Payroll, Production Planning, Project Management, Inventory, Material Management, Work Orders, and Business Intelligence. It supports multiple languages and currencies, and handles high volumes of daily transactions.
Purpose
The goals of the ERP test plan include pinpointing the modules to be tested manually as well as utilizing automation tools, laying out the testing strategy and actions, identifying the testing team and their schedules, constructing the testing framework, determining the stakeholders and methods of communication, outlining the work atmosphere and responsibilities, managing risk, and outlining the testing deliverables and reporting tools.
Module-wise Attributes for Manual Testing
The test plan enumerates the features that will be manually tested for each module. This instance features the Sales & Distribution module which includes Sales Order Processing, Sales Contract Processing, Return Merchandise Authorization, and Payment Receipts Processing.
Module-wise Attributes for Automation Testing
The test plan also encapsulates the features that will be tested using automation tools for each module. In this scenario, the Sales module features include Sales Orders, Shipping Sales Orders, Backorders, and Sales Invoicing.
Features to be Test Offsite
The test plan mentions features that will be conducted offsite such as functionality testing, regression testing and smoke testing.
Features to be Tested Onsite
The test plan also records features that will be conducted onsite including system testing, integration testing, performance testing, load testing and user acceptance testing.
Attributes to be Tested on Mobile, Wi-Fi & Cloud
Certain features will be tested with mobile devices, Wi-Fir and cloud infrastructure. This example specifically highlights the functionality testing of the CRM module.
Resource Necessities
The test plan details the resource requirements for the testing process such as the specific skills and expertise required of the testing team.
Testing Schedule
The testing schedule is a crucial component of the testing process and articulates the start and end dates of each testing responsibility; it also mentions the tester responsible for each task.
Test Case Execution
The test plan contains information related to the execution of test cases, such as the start and end dates for each module and the tester responsible for each iteration.
Test Coverage
The test plan delineates an overview of the test coverage for various types of testing, which includes functional testing, system testing, integrity testing, security testing, usability testing, performance testing, interface testing, and installation testing.
Deliverables
The test plan identifies the deliverables of the testing process, encompassing test reports, bug reports, and modifications to the quality assurance plan.
Risk Management
The test plan incorporates information about risk management and contingency planning. It recognizes potential risks and outlines strategies to contain them.
Issue Tracker
The test plan mentions the tools used for issue tracking, like Confluence and JIRA. These tools are utilized to report and monitor bugs and delegate them to the appropriate development team.
Quality Metrics
The test plan outlines the quality metrics which will be used to assess the quality of the ERP implementation. It encapsulates a range of metrics such as defect density, test coverage, and test success rate.
ERP Test Suite
The ERP test suite is an Excel document that maintains the record of revisions made to test suites for different modules in the ERP application. This includes test cases, test execution history, bug list, and test report history. The test suite also comprises test scripts for automation testing.
Download a Sample Test Suite Template:
Included in the test plan is a sample test suite template that can be downloaded. This template can be used to maintain the revision history, test execution, and bug reports for each module in the ERP system.
ERP Test Cases
Besides functional test cases, regression test cases, and smoke test cases, ERP testing necessitates different types of test cases for installation testing, configuration testing, implementation testing, adaptability testing, network testing, server testing, offline testing, remote testing, multi-currency testing, multi-language testing, device testing, intranet testing, and real-time testing. These test cases should be designed using real-time data and should incorporate test data and expected output.
Wrapping Up
ERP testing is an intricate process that calls for focused effort and collaboration from various stakeholders. It is crucial to adopt the appropriate processes, methods, and tools for testing. Automation can play a role, but it should not entirely eliminate manual testing. The quality of the implementation should be supervised throughout the testing process, using real-time data. By adhering to a well-structured test plan and leveraging the right testing methodologies, ERP implementation projects can reach the anticipated quality standards.
Bear in mind that ERP testing necessitates experienced testing professionals and should not be assigned to a novice team. It is pivotal to gather live, real data from clients for testing.
If you have any queries or concerns regarding ERP or SAP testing, feel free to get in touch with us.
Also, feel free to check out our full test plan tutorial series for more insight on how to craft a test plan document.
Prior Tutorial | Subsequent Tutorial