Test management in SAP projects

Quality assurance: a key element in SAP projects 

Quality assurance, often referred to as test management in software projects, has become a cornerstone of SAP projects over the years—and rightly so. Software is only as good as its ability to serve its users. This is precisely where test management plays a critical role in projects. It ensures that the software's quality is secured throughout the project. In SAP S/4HANA projects, quality assurance has become a dedicated workstream—commonly referred to as test management—and seen as having the same importance as the functional and technical (cross-functional) streams of a project.

The test management workstream is established at the beginning of the Explore phase of a project, alongside other project streams. Once it has a test management workstream, a project is well-prepared to overcome the quality challenges of the software to be implemented and the transformations ahead.

The goal of every test management workstream should extend beyond supporting and ensuring the quality of the software being delivered. It should also have a strong focus on quality throughout the project and promote a quality-first mindset among all project members. Even beyond the project’s scope—onward into operations and the entire lifecycle—the groundwork laid by test management ensures successful quality assurance for the software.

How is test management established in a project?

In the Explore phase of a project, the test management team initially comprises a customer-side test manager and a test manager from the implementation partner. Together, they define the broad framework of the test management and develop an approach. As the project progresses to the next phase, the team’s responsibilities expand to include input from development.

During the Realize phase, developments must be tested, documented, and approved. Test management coordinates and oversees these aspects, facilitated by the addition of a test coordinator to the team. Beyond the test levels mentioned earlier, the team will also define additional test levels. For example, it is highly advisable to establish a continuous, cross-functional testing phase during the agile realization process.

The final stages of testing include System Integration Testing (SIT) and User Acceptance Testing (UAT), which take place after development, configuration, and customization are complete. At this point, the test management team grows again. While SIT is traditionally handled by IT, key users and testers take the lead for UAT, and they require guidance.

Test management roles can vary between projects—whether these are filled by dedicated resources or handled concurrently with other roles depends on the project’s structure. However, it is crucial that the test management team is fully staffed and adequately resourced. Test capacity often poses a challenge, so it is essential for project sponsors to commit and provide the necessary resources before the project begins.

In addition to the roles mentioned, other resources may be needed, especially when test automation is employed. In such cases, a test automation manager and test automation engineers/scripters are required. Performance testing should be established – and a performance test manager recruited - if there is a need to ensure high application performance.

What are the responsibilities of the test management workstream?

Apart from aligning with the project’s test management approach, the workstream undertakes several other activities. These include:

• defining the project’s test levels

• determining the test scope,

• and assessing the requirements for the test environment.
  
  

The test management process 

The test management process, which encompasses test planning, preparation, execution, and closure, must be applied to every test level decided at the beginning of the project—except for the creation of the test concept. The test concept is developed once during the Explore phase and updated as necessary throughout the project. The depth and granularity of these activities can vary by test level. One particularly time-consuming activity is worth highlighting here: determining the test scope.

The test scope

In general, the test scope can be efficiently derived from a process map created during the Explore phase of the project. It is therefore advisable for test managers to participate in process definition workshops (Fit-Gap workshops) to evaluate the quality and testability of process documentation. This benefits not only test management but also the entire project.

A process map serves as an indispensable common theme throughout the project. Starting with the analysis of changes, requirements, and process improvements, it informs development and design, provides the foundation for testing, and supports change management by enabling end-user training.

Collaboration is key

Regular communication between the test management workstream and project leadership, as well as with other workstream leads or sub-project managers, is essential. Test management relies on input from its sister streams and depends on their information to operate effectively.

Establish quality assurance from the start 

Establishing quality assurance from the very beginning of a project is highly recommended—rather than waiting until midway, when major issues may have already arisen. Early testing can help eliminate significant errors and avoid delays, such as a postponed go-live.

In this spirit: happy (Shift-Left) Testing!