This is the fourth in our series of 6 blogs offering guidance to help you be better prepared for your ERP implementation. In this blog, we highlight testing. A subject so important we say it three times in the title.
Testing? That's LAKE's job, isn't it. We tell them what we want, they deliver it.
Now you could take that approach, but I wouldn't recommend it. Here are three good reasons why:
1. Cost
Our time is billable time. The more you consume, the higher the cost. Testing is one of the first things that gets squeezed when budgets are tight. But it shouldn't be squeezed.
2. Ownership
New ERP systems go hand in hand with new procedures and new ways of working. Testing promotes buy-in to the new solution. It is a key way in which you can encourage colleagues to take ownership of the new solution and really get the most out of it for your organisation.
3. Confidence
It is important that you and your colleagues have confidence in the solution, its processes, the reports it outputs, and so on. Testing validates the system we have jointly delivered. You know your business better than anyone. It follows that you and your colleagues are the best people to do testing.
As stated in Tip#3, don't forget the day job. Testing is time consuming. It's also really important. Make time for testing AND your day job. Plan for both. Where there are uncertainties, build flexibility into the plan.
Customise and follow a User Acceptance Test (UAT) plan that has been tailored around your business processes. Work with LAKE to develop a plan, including unique scenarios, that validates the solution against your requirements and clarifies what testing will be carried out, by when, and by whom.
Create a plan that tests the normal and the unexpected or irregular. This ensures that, should these scenarios arise after Go Live, users can proactively handle them with confidence.
Delegate testing responsibility to people who perform the tasks outlined in the plan each day. They have the necessary level of understanding. They also can be instrumental in building confidence and ownership. Ideally, they will become ambassadors for the new solution. That's not to say that all end users should get involved in testing, it should be a few individuals with good experience in their roles.
In the next and fifth blog in this series, we highlight the importance of homework and preparation.
To learn more, download copies of our SAP Business One Implementation Guide and SunSystems Cloud Implementation Guide.
by Ed Bentley
Blog updated 20th March 2025
