E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y With technology rapidly advancing, many organizations are taking a proactive approach to keeping their infrastructure

Transcription

1 MAKING THE BUSINESS CASE FOR AUTOMATED SYSTEM TESTING AN AVAAP WHITE PAPER MARCH 2015

2 E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y With technology rapidly advancing, many organizations are taking a proactive approach to keeping their infrastructure current. According to research from Aberdeen, organizations that are on the latest version of their ERP software report greater beneits as a result of their solution in a variety of key performance indicators when compared to organizations on older versions. 1 Organizations that rely on Infor software and upgrade to the latest version can take advantage of new social, mobile and analytic capabilities. But migrating to the latest software is complex and requires signiicant system testing to ensure the system works as it should. System testing is necessary whenever patches are applied, modiications are made or when new applications are implemented. Traditionally managed via manual methods, system testing is labor-intensive, diicult to coordinate and prevents resources from focusing on core activities. With greater pressure to do more with fewer resources, automating system testing can alleviate the strain on internal resources, ensure more thorough and accurate testing, prevent delays during patch application or upgrades and positively impact the bottom line. 1 Aberdeen, The Value of Upgrading ERP: Maintaining Modern Technology, February 2014 ( retrieved ) 1

3 S Y S T E M T E S T I N G : A N E V E R G R E E N C H A L L E N G E Like other technology companies, Infor releases updated versions of their software at set intervals as well as updates when new features or ixes are released. These changes help customers keep up with changing business requirements and the latest technologies. Every Infor customer understands that continuous improvements are being made and that failing to stay current may result in their organization missing out on new technologies that can signiicantly improve their business. As new versions are introduced, it also means that some technologies are no longer supported. Knowing this, customers are motivated to keep their software as close to current as possible. Customers also know that anytime they update their software they must test all business processes to ensure any new patch did not break any critical function and that it achieves its intended purpose. Testing Infor Lawson requires a coordinated efort due to the integration of the applications across diverse business groups. As organizations upgrade to Infor10 and beyond, they ll need to consider the time and resources required to complete system testing. One critical issue is that most employees who need to test upgrades have core responsibilities that consume their time and contribute to the proitability of the business. Combined with a software system that is tightly integrated with other systems, this increases the complexity and ability to execute a complete and accurate testing project. Additionally, because testing takes time and manual efort to complete, the human factor can impact its accuracy. Testers often take short cuts and rush through testing, failing to test critical functionality of the system. In other 2

4 cases testing is not thorough because of resource limitations. Also, because of the integration Infor Lawson requires, one group must rely on another group to complete their testing before they can proceed. Efective system testing requires a massive efort to keep all resources on track and abreast of the status of each other s testing. When issues are identiied following patch application, it requires another round of testing. Often, more shortcuts are taken either by reducing the amount of items tested, resulting in multiple items that may have been missed, or not documenting updated requirements and/or indings of the test run. With all the moving parts, it is likely something will be missed until after go live, potentially resulting in serious consequences. Avaap conducted an informal poll of CIOs and IT managers at customer locations, revealing that the most common sentiment following an upgrade is that not enough time and resources were available for the testing of the project. This deiciency is problematic when you consider the importance of ensuring that the upgraded system functions smoothly at go-live. 3

5 AUTOMATED TESTING: ACCURATE. EFFICIENT. RELIABLE. An automated testing solution reduces the challenges associated with manual testing processes, delivering more accurate and complete system testing and improved visibility across every stage of the testing process. Automation enables organizations to run an eicient and efective test process, accelerating upgrades while ensuring optimal system performance. A specialized software tool designed for Infor Lawson that executes test scripts and compares expected versus actual results can alleviate demands on business users, support accurate testing processes and accelerate the upgrade while ensuring Infor software performs as it should. For example, with a solution designed speciically for Infor, customers can eiciently test updates made to their Lawson portal/infor Ming. le or leverage prerecorded scripts containing predeined steps that can be played back and compared against the expected behavior and report the diferences found. The right solution should also allow you to run repeatable tasks to reduce the amount of manual clicking and keystrokes performed during testing. The Avaap Test Automation Advantage Avaap Test Automation (ATA) was designed for the various types of users that interact with Lawson software during diferent testing stages. Avaap works with Infor to ensure ATA will function with the latest version of their software. ATA also works on most fully html web-applications. It is a user-friendly solution that requires no programming skills or technical knowledge. ATA s framework can automate the execution of online transactions as well as run batch jobs and monitor their completion. After each execution ATA produces a web and PDF report detailing the results and can even include screen shots. Testing the Lawson Portal / Infor Ming.le without an automated testing solution is labor and resource intensive. With Avaap Test Automation, organizations can streamline and accelerate the testing process and beneit from a documented testing process. Some of the advantages include: ATA runs automated scripts that can follow most of your business processes. ATAreplacesmostoftheclicksand keystrokesrequiredfortesting. Allowsuserstoinderrorsandzeroin onissuesmorequickly. ATAsavestestdatainExceltoallow easy access and adjust. ATA creates a summary report with optional screen shots providing detailed results. ATAallowsyoutospendthebulkof yourtimeanalyzingerrorsinsteadof data entry. SupportfromexpertsinInforLawson testing process. 4

6 SHORTEN THE TESTING CYCLE, ELIMINATE R E P E T I T I V E T A S K S, E N S U R E S O F T W A R E Q U A L I T Y Automating the test process will help Infor customers save signiicant costs associated with system and regression testing of key Lawson business processes. ATA adopts a Microsoft Excelbased framework to create test plans, test scripts and test data to execute various actions on Lawson forms. The framework is designed in such a way that all test assets are easy to understand and allows for quicker implementation of the product. Automating system testing delivers signiicant beneits for Infor users: Streamlinetestingprocess throughautomatedworklow Compress the testing cycle Simple to use solution Increaseend-userproductivity and improve user morale Standardizetestingprocedures RealizeameasurableROI Avaap Test Automation presents test results in a user-friendly format to support regulatory requirements and provide documentation of the test. Reports can include screen shots from Infor and are produced in.pdf and.html formats that can be shared for greater analysis and decision-making. Building automated tests for your various Infor Lawson processes has never been easier. ATA allows users to create and run automated scripts that follow business processes. ATA can run one script at a time or multiple scripts passing key values (purchase order, invoice, employee, etc.) from one form to another form in a continuous downstream process. 5

7 ATA is user-friendly, ATAvs.OtherAutomationToolsets allowing users DESCRIPTION ATA OTHERS with knowledge RECORD & PLAYBACK of the business JUMPSTART SCRIPT LIBRARY process to record INTEGRATED TEST SUMMARY REPORTING and playback any LAWSON INTEGRATION test plan. By saving PRICE the test data in LAWSON SUPPORT Excel spreadsheets ATA enables easier addition and modiication. ATA generates a summary report that provides insight into the results of the playback. When business rules are built into each test plan ATA allows users to ind errors quickly and focus on issues caused by upgrades/modiications. Using ATA allows business analysts to spend the bulk of time analyzing any errors that have occurred rather than on data entry. ATA can be run on a local machine, virtual machine, or a server by one or many users. The test plans and test scripts can then be stored on the local machine or on the network that can be shared with other team members. 6

8 M A K I N G T H E B U S I N E S S C A S E Organizations that remain with manual testing processes are at a disadvantage. A legacy approach to testing can bog down the upgrade process and prevent resources from identifying issues sooner. Regardless of the end goal, think of the cost of doing nothing. An ineicient testing process is a gamble that the system upgrade and all necessary testing can be completed on time and on budget. Consider the beneits automated testing brings to the upgrade or modiication process: Reduces the number of manual data entry, alleviating users from repetitive testing activities and time that could be spent on more strategic activities. Automating multi-step business processes spanning multiple business groups ensures more comprehensive and consistent testing results. Building repeatable tests that can be run any number of times, eliminating redundancy and contributing togreatereiciency. Scripts built can be reused to test diferentbuildversions. Time saved using automation can beusedtoexploreandtestother critical areas of the application, resulting in more thorough system testing. Shorter Release and Deployment cycles, delivering faster access to new functionality to business users and time to productivity. Fewermanualresourcesrequiredto conduct automation testing. Ability to test with multiple data sets. Documented artifacts for serving anyregulatoryrequirements. 7

9 ROIExample OneofthemanyprocessesthatcanreplicatedinATA MANUAL TIME PERFORMED WITHOUT ATA WITH ATA FIND & REVIEW REQUIREMENTS 20 MINUTES 5 MINUTES REHEARSE BUSINESS PROCESS 30 MINUTES N/A SETUP DATA VALUES 1 HOUR 0-60 MINUTES CREATE & RELEASE 15 POs 1-4 HOURS N/A ANALYZE & DOCUMENT FINDINGS FOR 15 POs 2 HOURS 0-30 MINUTES PO UPDATE DOCUMENTATION 1-3 HOURS 0 MINUTES COORDINATE WITH AP 10 MINUTES N/A LAG TIME BETWEEN PO & AP 1-5 DAYS* N/A CREATE & RELEASE & MATCH 15 INVOICES 1-4 HOURS N/A ANALYZE & DOCUMENT FINDINGS FOR 15 INVOICES 2 HOURS 0-30 MINUTES AP UPDATE DOCUMENTATION 1-3 HOURS 0 MINUTES TOTAL TIME HOURS* 0-2 HOURS *Does not include time between Stop time of PO Group and Start time of AP Group Time is included during any changes made in previous step 8hrs saved per process x 100 processes per testing cycle = 800hrs 800hrs per cycle x 3 test cycles per year = 2400 hrs/year 2400hrs per year x $45/hr = $108,000/year 5 Year Savings Total = $540,000 Systematic testing of Infor Lawson applications is critical for optimal system performance. It is not just time consuming, but requires careful evaluation of various Lawson business processes and understanding their integration to determine an efective test solution that ensures the best results. As organizations plan to upgrade to Infor10 and beyond, automating testing can shorten the upgrade cycle and help achieve faster time to value of the Infor software investment. For more information, please visit Avaap.com. 8