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Testing: the often dreaded yet necessary part of every software development or digital transformation project. It can be time-consuming, tedious and at times, frustrating. However, no matter how much we may want to avoid it, testing is crucial for ensuring the success of a project.

Project Pulsar – Galactic Gravity Inc’s large scale digital transformation initiative to modernize their forecasting, production and delivery solution – is continuing down the path toward a go-live, but must first embark on a series of vigorous and varied testing sessions. As with many companies, some team members at GGI are questioning the extent of testing truly needed and how much they can reasonably forgo.

In this article, we will explore why testing is essential and the different types of testing that are used to root out common problems. We will also take a closer look at a triage meeting, which plays an important role in identifying and addressing issues that arise during testing. Finally, we’ll discuss specific examples of the benefits of thorough testing and how it ultimately helps to ensure the success of a project.

What is Business Simulation Testing?

Project Pulsar has just completed the first session of business simulation testing, but before we see how that plays out, let’s first take a step back and get an overview of what business simulation testing is, what it’s used for, and how it differs from User Acceptance Testing (UAT).

Business Simulation Testing (BST) is a type of testing that “pilots” the future core business processes along with key exceptions from end to end. In business simulation testing, key customizations are finalized, and critical integrations can be simulated. This type of testing engages additional team members to confirm that all requirements are met, business processes are accounted for, and any gaps or bottlenecks have been resolved. It also helps evaluate training requirements and provides further data validation.

User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is different from BST in that it ensures the processes and systems are ready to “Go live.” Often, UAT focuses on processes or roles, including user security or access, and includes more users and transactional volume. It confirms that the training materials, approach, and projected training times are aligned with organizational needs. As the final checkpoint before launch, UAT provides a crucial opportunity to identify and resolve any remaining or potential issues to ensure a smooth go-live.

Later in this chapter we will examine other types of testing, how they’re used and how they benefit Project Pulsar as well as other companies, but let’s join the team in the conference room as they debrief their first BST session.

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Business Simulation Testing Triage Meeting: Assessing the Damage

“Well,” Jesse Bowman (Project Pulsar’s Solution Architect) began as he took his seat at the conference room table. “I think we can all agree that that could have gone better.”

Dry chuckles and muttered agreements from the BPOs Jonathon, Lucy, Todd, and Luca filled the room. The frustration was palpable, and although Jesse was normally a fairly upbeat person, it was beginning to wear on him.

The first business simulation session had gone from bad to objectively worse, and this pre-scheduled touchpoint with all the BPOs would hopefully allow them to gauge the session and make any adjustments for future testing sessions.

“Let’s talk about it,” Jesse said, opening his laptop and starting his notetaker application. “What do we feel did not go well?”

“Well, first of all, some of the users weren’t even set up as requested,” the accounting manager Luca pointed out.

“And who was responsible for that?” Jonathon queried. The tall Production Manager glowered from underneath dark brows.

Before anyone could start pointing fingers, Jesse interjected, “I believe there were a couple tasks that were not clearly assigned to a specific person. At the end of this meeting when we go to assign action items, we’ll circle back to that and make sure nothing falls through the cracks.”

As they went around the room, other issues surfaced, from shipping terms and charges lacking functionality, to corrupted customer data, and the inability to tax parts versus completed units.

With the mountain of issues laid out in front of them, Lucy – the Procurement Manager – shifted in her seat and cleared her throat. “I’ll admit that I wasn’t able to dedicate enough time to adequately prepare for this first business simulation session.”

The Warehouse Manager Todd nodded. “Me too, unfortunately. If I’d had more time to prepare, the warehouse side of things could have gone smoother.”

“I appreciate the candor,” Jesse said. “Unfortunately, we’re at a point where I don’t think more preparation will fix anything. I’d like to propose we escalate some of these to leadership before moving ahead with the next round of business simulation testing.”

“Hold on,” Jonathon said, furrowing his brow. “I’ve been looking at the testing plan and… is all this testing really necessary? What if we cut out regression testing and only did two rounds of data validation instead of three? That would grant us time to address the issues that came up today without compromising our go-live date.”

“I appreciate the problem solving,” Jesse replied, “But we’ve worked too hard to not do things the right way; it would be a shame to watch it fall apart now just to get something out the door on time.”

“I’m not saying we give up on testing altogether,” Jonathon pushed back. “But come on. No project I’ve been part of has ever had this much testing.”

“Yes, and how many issues were found post go-live in those projects?” Jesse quipped.

Jonathon had good enough sense to not answer, and he even looked somewhat chagrined.

“I’ll bring your suggestion and the results from our business simulation test up to Jared our PM, and we’ll get some executive direction on where to go from here. I appreciate you all taking the time to put our heads together and make some progress after today’s session. I’ll be in touch.”

Jesse assigned follow up action items as promised and then dismissed the meeting with no small amount of relief.

The next few weeks were going to be a lot of work, he thought, running a hand through his gray hair with a sigh.

Testing Thoroughly or Moving Quickly: A Critical Decision

After discussions with project manager Jared and sponsor Maggie, the decision was made to temporarily pause the next business simulation session. While this pushed the timeline back by four days, it would allow the BPOs to better explore their assigned scenarios, ensuring more successful sessions.

Jared, the PM, organized an “all hands on deck” scenario to collaborate on resolving as many issues as possible during the pause. The team worked steadily with data fixes applied, configurations applied, and some inventive exception handling and scenarios refined until finally, everyone agreed that business simulation could proceed.

Four sessions of business simulation testing ensued. This time, everyone’s planning and dedication to making this a success was apparent. Aside from some expected additions to data migration and some process exceptions that needed handling, the sessions turned out to be uneventful, and the team worked together quickly to address the exceptions and refine the data-loading templates.

Testing, Testing: An Overview of Project Pulsar’s Comprehensive Testing Plan

Despite Jonathon’s pushback on the amount of testing, each type of test served a specific and crucial purpose that unfolded

Functional Unit Testing validates system configurations or settings and is used to validate that a custom solution functions as designed or to verify that a reported bug or defect has been resolved.

For Project Pulsar, functional testing was the initial means to verify that the item substitution, which was customized, met the business requirements. This testing verified that it worked as defined in the design document provided to the developer.

Data Validation Testing verifies that specified data migrated as expected, can be inquired upon, reported upon, and transacted upon. This includes validating that the migrated data ties out to the source or legacy data.

For the team at GGI, data validation ensured that the substitution flag was populated as applicable when the items were transformed and migrated.

Security Testing is used for controlling system access. It ensures security is configured as needed by executing test cases with intended security roles applied. This includes testing restrictive access to other features and modules.

Security testing ensured that a limited number of system users at GGI could edit their item values and settings.

Performance Testing is appropriate when integrated data is being received or sent or when there are specific processes that must function extremely efficiently even with a large number of users  This type of testing is used to verify that the system is optimized to handle the load or volume of anticipated transactions, and can include identifying and resolving any bottlenecks.

Project Pulsar’s performance testing ensured their process worked as expected, even with a high volume of inbound EDI orders.

Regression Testing is when a set of tests is repeated to verify that previously tested functionality still works as expected, and is typically completed in conjunction with a code upgrade or a bug fix.

By performing regression testing, the Project Pulsar team proved that a recent version update to the software did not impact their customization.

With each type of testing completed, the team’s confidence and trust in the solution were built. Resistance and discomfort with change were minimized, resulting in a smoother transition to the future.

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The Benefits of Comprehensive Testing for End-User Experience

The last round of BST had finished, and the BPOs were gathered in the conference room once again to recap. During a lull, Jonathon cleared his throat. “I wanted to take a moment with all of us together to say that despite the delay to the project timeline, taking a step back and not compromising anything in our testing plan was the right call. They say hindsight is 20/20, and it’s clear to me now that testing with varied objectives is necessary to fully validate all of the processes.”

“Thank you, Jonathon,” Jesse smiled. “I appreciate you saying that. It’s been really great to see the team navigating the processes using the new systems so confidently. Everyone has done a fantastic job of stepping up and taking things to the next level.”

Jonathon nodded. “To be honest, it’s been a long time since I’ve been this excited about the future of GGI. This has shown me that we have what it takes to do things right and to make this whole project a success.”

“I second that,” Lucy piped up. “It was a good thing we uncovered the issues we did in business simulation before making it much further in the testing process. Now User Acceptance Testing will be a much smoother experience, which makes all the difference for those users who will be seeing the system and processes for the first time. First impressions matter, and I’m confident their first interaction will be positive!”

“Great work everyone,” Jared, the Project Manager, said, wrapping it up. “I’ve sent out the meeting invitation for UAT final planning. I expect everyone to bring this enthusiasm and all your bright ideas to the table. We’re staring down the finish line here; let’s finish strong!”

The Critical Role of Testing in Long-Term Project Excellence

Testing is a foundational aspect of any successful project, yet it is often underestimated, delayed, or scaled back due to time and resource constraints. Project Pulsar demonstrated the immense value of comprehensive testing by implementing a rigorous and structured approach to ensure a seamless user experience. Through meticulous planning, thorough Business Simulation Testing, and a commitment to quality, the project avoided common pitfalls, saving time and effort in the long run. This investment in testing directly contributed to the success, reliability, and end-user satisfaction of the final deliverables.

Companies embarking on similar projects must recognize what thorough testing can achieve. By allocating adequate time, focus, and resources to testing, teams can prevent costly errors, increase user satisfaction, and ensure smoother implementations. Testing is not just a last-ditch obstacle to go-live—it is a critical process that bridges the gap between design and execution.

If your organization is ready to elevate its digital transformation projects through expert testing, training, and implementation strategies, contact Victoria Fide today. Together, we can ensure your next project achieves its full potential.

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