Preparing business testing before an SAP go-live

Choose scenarios that are representative of the work. An order is more than its entry: you also need to look at what comes before it, what it triggers and the information other teams expect.

Add to the usual cases the exceptions users actually encounter.

Scenarios must be executable with suitable data. Identify what is needed and who prepares it.

Record any limits of the data set. A test that could not be run for lack of information must not be counted as passed.

The project team, consultants and business users contribute to testing with different responsibilities. Specify who runs the scenarios, who analyses defects and who accepts the business result.

This organisation allows questions to be handled without leaving any sign-off implicit.

Describe the expected result, the actual result and the conditions to reproduce it. Teams can then examine the problem and discuss its impact.

After a fix, plan a new check. Closure must correspond to an observed result.

Present the scenarios signed off, those still to be tested and the defects still open. Decision-makers then have a view of the points to address and of any temporary measures.

The decision belongs to the people designated in the project governance. Clear documentation supports that decision and prepares support after go-live.