Successful ERP implementations require thorough testing by end-users to ensure the desired functionality of the system meets the functional requirements set forth during the evaluation and requirements gathering phase of a system implementation. At MIBAR, our User Acceptance Testing (UAT) process is designed to ensure clients are satisfied with the configured system.
The MIBAR User Acceptance Testing (UAT) Process
Our UAT process takes places after we gather requirements, configure the system, and complete our development work. The goal is to test the core process flows within each functional area – sales, AP, AR, etc, to ensure the process flow works for “champion” end-users with our clients. A “champion” end-user is typically a department lead or manager who takes ownership of a particular process area, providing MIBAR with the necessary underlying requirements, and providing the sign-off approval on the proposed configuration and design for a particular module.
Each Module is broken into several focus sessions, with the “champions”, as well as relevant end-users invited to the testing sessions. Some clients opt to invite many end-users, to get the requisite feedback from individuals who are well versed in a particular function of the business. Others opt to conduct the UAT with minimal end-user involvement, as they want to ensure the critical process flow works without inviting “fluff” requests from end-users for functions that drive real business value. Clients should get a feel for their team, their willingness to accept a new system, their capabilities in learning new functionality, and their overall adaptability when deciding who and how many end-users are involved in a UAT.
Sessions themselves are broken into a number of “Tests”, each covering a core use case or critical process within the business. In an ideal world, we would conduct tests for every conceivable use-case within the business. In practice, however, a mixture of budgetary constraints, as well as the comprehensive nature of testing for every possible scenario, makes this unwieldy. Instead, we focus on critical processes – creating customers, processing core transactions. While some “critical processes” such as entering a sales order are obvious, others, such as fashioning a solid return process or even tracking inbound containers, needed to devote as much if not more time than sales transactions. These processes are often more complex and less considered during the requirements gathering phase.
MIBAR also insists clients sign off on User Acceptance Tests. The goal here is to ensure the client is satisfied with the underlying functionality. After we complete UAT, we begin importing data into the application (both entity and transaction data), then move into a training phase before deploying the application. This ensures our team, our clients, and relevant third party software vendors are all in alignment on how each business process will be managed with the system, and we have plenty of time to rectify each issue that surfaces prior to go-live, ensuring an on time, well scoped delivery of the platform.
At MIBAR, we’ve spent nearly three decades making ERP software work for our clients and know what it takes to complete a project successfully. Schedule a consultation to learn more.
Additional ERP Resources
Using ERP Implementations as a Catalyst for Outsourcing
How the Cloud Has Made Fast, Thorough ERP Implementations a Reality
Three Reasons Cloud ERP Delivers Security for Your Remote Teams
