As software engineers, developers, and testers, we all deal with zeros and ones. We are all accustomed to simplifying our every-day questions and seek out yes-or-no answers. Yet, real life questions aren’t simple, and addressing them properly requires us to be aware and consider a lot more contextual factors. We are trained to know that there is only one right answer to 2+2, not a right answer dependent on the context in which 2+2 is employed.
With that in mind, let’s think about the headline to this article in a slightly different way: Are You Using The Wrong SAP Testing Methodology?
That seems to suggest that there is only one right answer – and yet we have several methodologies to utilize. The answer is not simple and factual like 2+2; it is contextual, and which methodology may be right for your business or software depends largely on what you want to achieve and who will be doing the testing.
Let us help you understand what methodologies work best for the various business environments.
Whether conducting unit, integration, system, or any of the myriad other testing processes available, the method of testing can affect your bottom line as well as your overall success. We’re aligning each type of business with what might be the best methodology for you. Can you find your business in here?
For Startups
We know it can be expensive to have software developers and testers on the payroll, so it might be easy just to contract testers as you need them. This is fine if you are a small company with very few software designs in the market. But if you are a developed company, these ad hoc setups can cost you in the long run.
Simply put, you have the expertise available to run the tests in-house, so paying to contract it can be foolish. Also, you have native developers who are able to do some testing, and they are the ones who know the software better than anyone. And if you put out a large volume of software, well, the answer becomes obvious.
With a small company, contracting a third-party when needed and having the in-house developers serve as consultants would work best in the small shops.
For Medium-size Companies
SAP testing is certainly a little different when you have a few more people on your payroll. At this point, you probably have a few software programs and provide regular updates that need to be tested, but you have at least a small staff of experts that could help with the test, along with a cadre of developers. In this area, some automation could be helpful.
This frees up your experts to consult and coordinate the testing with the third party or automation tools while they then get to work on the next generation and innovation of the software itself. The only problem that might come up here is that you don’t have much direct access and oversight of the testing; you will have to have good trust with the automation or the third-party to properly and effectively document all the results and be specific in the areas where there is failure.
Large Companies
Maybe you are a control freak, though. Your software is your baby, and you would personally test all of it if you could. But really, if you are doing all the testing and meeting with your developers, where will you have time to run or grow the business?
If you are not a large company, then it’s time to let go.
Taking a very accountable and responsible role in SAP testing comes from having the personnel in place to have an expert touch to every step of software development and every test that can be conducted all along the way. No detail is left behind, nothing is left to chance in automation.
If there is a downside, it is that this can be inefficient at times and hinder future innovations because your staff is focused so much on testing and development that you’re almost left with upgrades rather that full-blown innovations moving forward. And in the current environment, a month’s delay in innovation could make you obsolete.
Maybe there is a way to find a good balance – find a method that incorporates all the efficiencies of each and uses the right tools in the right ways to improve quality and makes your teams more productive. Learn more about Solution Soft’s software testing products and see what we can devise for you.