Going into a web-based system configuration, there are many variables to think about. You want to know your process, know the system capabilities, know how you are going to deal with change management, know how you are going to communicate the news about the new system, and often overlooked, but VERY important – you want to know how you are going to test the system. With many small and large implementations under my belt and implementation experience as a customer, testing is very near and dear to my heart. However, when push comes to shove, it is often what is quickly done at the end of the project when everyone is pushing to get the project live and over the finish line.
Below is a list of things I have learned and shared over the years with my customers to help make sure that testing is not the “ugly duckling” of the process and it receives the attention it deserves.
1) Develop a testing plan – From the first time the system is turned over to you to test until you are ready to go, having a good testing plan laid out is the key to ensure all steps are complete. Otherwise, the final tests, which often are the end to end testing scenarios, are not completed. The testing plan should include timelines, objectives, scenarios, tester roles, test reporting, and testing feedback.
2) Utilize test cases – Test cases walk users through scenarios that you want to ensure they cover as they discover the system. You want them to be able to know who they are testing as, what topics they are testing for, what they like or dislike about the look and feel of the system, and finally how they feel about the process.
3) Select a wide range of users to test the system – You want a good mix of individuals from the development team as well as people who will need to support the product when it is live. You may want to consider having individuals with varying comfort levels with technology on your testing team. Not everyone is a computer whiz, and having testers of all levels will get you great feedback on when to simplify the system or process design.
4) Test heavily on the major focus areas to ensure they work properly – The key to a good testing plan is to know what is most important to the users and ensure it works! You will only get one chance to make a good impression on end users for your new system.
5) Test to break the system – The consultant working with you and your design team will typically be very comfortable with the ins and outs of the system configuration. But what about all the exceptions that happen inside your organization? Were they covered in your testing scenarios? Talk to your payroll and your HR generalists to find out what things really have tripped them up in the past, and then test if the same thing will happen going forward. It is an easy way to get a quick win if your design simplifies nuisances of the past.
6) Test email notifications. For most of the testing process, email notifications are turned off so that users are not spammed with unwanted emails. If they are turned on, they are typically sent to fake email addresses and no one reviews their content. Testing should focus on ensuring the right email notifications are enabled, they are being sent at the appropriate time and the wording is correct for your organization.
7) TEST, TEST, TEST permissions. Many web-based systems rely heavily on detailed permissions to bring the configuration to life. The system can be designed as expected but if the right people do not see what they are supposed to OR the wrong people see data they should not see, the system design will be considered a failure. You also want to test reporting outputs to ensure that the users see the appropriate data for their role. While you cannot test user access for every person in the system, you want to test “enough” to know that each type of user has the right permission access.
Testing seems so simple! Everyone knows they have to do it, but so many do not give it the time or attention it deserves. Following the key points made above should help any software implementation head in the right direction. No matter how much time you have, always make the time to focus on testing and ensure it gets done at all stages of the process. Just keep saying to yourself, “I must test,” “I must test,” “I must test” and your project will have the best chance for success!