Building and examining any software is a grand undertaking. But enterprise application testing might just make your heart stop with its intricacies. An enterprise application (EA) is the colossus of the IT world. And it needs colossal effort and expertise to take its rightful place as the king of all apps and a wise ruler of business processes.
Today, we’ll explore these beasts in detail:
Enterprise applications are incredibly varied, not just in their purpose but in functionality and logic, too. So, before developing your enterprise app testing plan, you should factor in how an app’s specifics impact the testing process. That’s the only way to develop targeted, highly effective tests.
All EAs have an insane amount of functions. For example, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) combines features that handle:
The difficulty arises from two aspects:
Testing a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform would center on lead generation features. On the other hand, ERP software would need flawless inventory management and production workflows. So, each function demands a tailored testing strategy.
Now, many apps may reuse “popular” features, like data management. But even so, QA specialists would need to consider in what context it operates:
It’s no surprise that most software has similar functions. But two projects are never the same at their core. And if they are, well, you shouldn’t worry about them being your competitors. Enterprise testing is to always focus on the EA at hand. And it should treat even those “generic” features as something special because they are indeed such for each product.
B2B and B2C apps are quite different. But there’s something that unites them – user expectations. Specifically, no matter the product, every consumer wants it to solve a particular problem or offer a certain benefit. That’s why EAs are often either customized in advance or have in-built adjustment features.
And these modifications can range from unique user interfaces to integrations with legacy systems. To ensure your customization is indeed an advantage (and not a thing to cross off the list), it needs precise enterprise testing services.
QA engineers need to tailor their test cases to the specific workflows the application supports. This might involve user acceptance testing by representatives from the target departments to ensure the application seamlessly integrates with their existing processes.
The deployment model you choose also affects your testing efforts. Different options have their pros and cons, which need to be reflected in the enterprise testing services.
Testing for on-premise software should consider the company’s resources.
For a shared infrastructure (cloud-based), testing would primarily include:
For hybrid options, QA specialists need to go for mixed enterprise testing solutions. They are to account for the interplay between on-premise and cloud environments.
It doesn’t mean that on-premise, cloud, or hybrid models need only these tests. Each of them deserves a well-rounded analysis and a high-quality result. But for a targeted and less wasteful testing, it’s better to first direct your effort towards areas most important for a particular variant.
We usually think of EAs as centralized platforms for managing data, resources, and workflows. But, of course, they can also function as separate entities. And your enterprise software testing strategy should adapt to cater to either option.
Integrated enterprise applications connect and exchange data with other systems. The high number of links in such EAs calls for a holistic approach.
Standalone enterprise applications are independent units. They have minimal or no data exchange with other systems. So, testing enterprise software in this case is more streamlined.
This aspect is pretty straightforward. If your app relies on other systems, you need to pay close attention to the communication between them. And if your EA is a self-sustaining network, prioritize testing functions critical to its operations.
EAs don’t have a single user profile. They connect people from all areas:
An enterprise app needs to provide its users with an equally comfortable and useful environment. It needs to make sure everyone can do their job with no hiccups. So, QA engineers need to be agile when testing enterprise apps. They ought to design test cases that secure positive and productive experiences for all agents.
Overall, enterprise app diversity is a good thing. Every company can find its ideal solution, and providers are encouraged to innovate and experiment. Yet, that also means that your enterprise software application testing will grow in complexity with your project. It’s not something negative, not at all. It’s just something that comes hand-in-hand with intricate products.
And you need to include this aspect in your timeline, resource, and budget planning.
Enterprise software diversity doesn’t come to battle you alone. It always brings a friend – the EA complexity. This one is a feisty beast. Due to enterprise apps’ size and ample functions, testing them is surely difficult but fully achievable.
Creating a high-quality app nearly always relies on your team’s skills. And for EAs, you need to prioritize specialists proficient at enterprise software quirks, so to speak. Many testing teams can check an enterprise project. But to do it on a higher level is to hire QA engineers who have the expertise and skill needed to deal with the “special” stuff.
Because EAs need to take care of so many things, every function they run entails specific calculations, data manipulation, and conditional logic. So, your crew needs to map out these workflows to fully grasp them. They also need to test ample and distinct scenarios to secure stable operations.
To validate the app’s behavior across different use cases, consider:
As we’ve mentioned, an EA is a host for many “guests.” Your software can be used by dozens of different agents within an organization. And you definitely can’t allow all users to roam free. Different user roles need specific levels of access and functionality.
A team testing enterprise applications should know all user journeys available in your app. They also need to:
To boost an EA’s uses and performance, teams often integrate them with other systems. From third-party platforms to legacy infrastructures, testing must secure proper communication between them. So, you’re very likely to spend extra time on checking data flows.
Specifically, you might focus on:
Based on your industry and the data your EA handles, you might need to work on regulatory compliance. Here are a few examples:
Not only must your QA services provider know and understand these policies, but they also need to translate them into testing. Your team should carry out:
If you suddenly snatch an EA from a business, it will most likely fall apart. Alright, it’s rather “most definitely.” In case your enterprise software, for whatever reason, turns into a pile of rubble, for its users, it’d mean:
EAs are mission-critical systems. People expect them to be available 24/7. That’s why expert enterprise software testing services will tell you to ensure high availability and reliability via:
Regarding the last point, yes, it’s not enough to have a plan for an emergency scenario. You need to see whether it works by executing it. This will take some extra time. But your consumers will thank you for it.
EAs, just like any business, are constantly evolving. They need to stay on the same page with their consumers and keep providing the same (or better) experiences. So, every new feature, update, or bug fix you add is to be tested. Otherwise, you run the risk of your refinements not having the desired effect.
To maintain your app’s quality, enterprise QA testing services should:
EAs are massive apps. Logically, they store and process equally massive volumes of data. What’s more, the amount of it will grow over time. Your testing strategy needs to check whether the app can handle what it’s supposed to and account for the future information deluge.
So, be sure to carry out:
Organizations rely on EAs’ reporting for multiple reasons. They can use it to gain insights or monitor system health. And a point that adds a certain sharpness to this is the fact that people are not likely to recheck. In other words, users will take the reports at face value. First, they trust that the provider will ensure their accuracy. Second, they probably don’t have time to dive into potential inaccuracies.
Another issue is that consumers prioritize comfort. Thus, no matter how complex the data your EA outputs, it needs to be digestible. Here, your testing should focus on:
Enterprise software testing is far from simple. But we have good news – it doesn’t have to be “hellish.” EAs wouldn’t be possible without (literally) heroic developers and QA engineers. So, producing a remarkable product is a reality. And all those scary things we’ve talked about above aren’t that scary when you have a good team. That’s exactly what you should think about first (and worry about everything else later).
A good enterprise app is one that functions well. A great enterprise app is one that functions well and cares for its consumers. So, while you might feel inclined to put all your effort into testing your EA’s functionality, you also need to think about the people behind the screen.
Every company has a unique work process. Even slight variations in how tasks are completed can significantly alter enterprise testing. Let’s consider this example.
Both of them are relying on an inventory management system. But they use its features differently.
For company X, a QA team would prioritize:
For company Y, QA services would center on:
As you can see, same app, different user needs. EAs must be adjustable to accommodate these variations and allow companies to configure workflows to their actual operations. Rigid software is the one with fewer uses. And, by default, with fewer customers.
For pleasant and functional customization, you should:
While the tech giants reign supreme, modern businesses are like an ocean – full of all kinds of creations. Some prioritize budget-friendly solutions. Others embrace remote work, requiring access from personal devices. And the more environments your EA supports, the better. It should work well across various platforms, from desktops to smartphones.
To achieve that, enterprise testing services should encompass a range of devices and OSs. You should also plan ahead the environments you’ll be testing on:
But we can tell you right away that the best approach is to combine all three options. This way you can cut down costs and thoroughly check critical aspects.
We’ve come a long way from half-blank pages, clunky designs, and hallucination-inducing interfaces (nostalgic, we know). Today, users expect nothing less than flawless. Though complex systems like EAs have more leeway, too many “that’s fine,” and the rivals will take your place in a heartbeat.
Catering to modern consumer needs means making your product:
The last point is especially important for businesses. They wouldn’t appreciate new people taking too long to grasp your EA. That’s where usability testing comes in. QA engineers can evaluate the app’s UI, user flows, and learnability. And with well-designed cases and expertise, they can do so from the perspective of diverse users with varying technical skillsets.
The main point here is to find specialists who prioritize users and try to replicate their authentic interactions with your EA.
Now, we need to talk about what can go wrong. Frankly, a lot. But your software is to deal with every crisis the world might throw at it because people genuinely rely on it. A blackout, a cyberattack, or a natural disaster – a good EA should be able to handle it all. It should be able to support a business’ livelihood no matter what.
So, among your enterprise testing solutions, disaster recovery scenarios must take precedence. They should simulate:
These will ensure your EA can recover data and restore functionality efficiently. Also, do put significant effort into security and penetration testing for refined safety.
For some organizations, like those seeking risk diversification or of impressive sizes, another need arises. Such companies might pay extra for distributed architecture or multi-tenancy.
Overall, this duo offers:
You can see why these features are worth your time. And to make them truly beneficial for your users, enterprise testing should:
Given what we’ve discussed so far, you might wonder how EA development isn’t considered an extreme sport. A madly complex product, wildly elaborate testing procedures… It all must take ages and a significant mental toll.
Enterprise app testing is indeed bountiful with challenges. But expert automated software testing services (AT) can make a huge difference.
Manual testing, while essential, can be time-consuming and tedious. And for EAs with complex functionalities, it’s simply not enough. Enterprise testing relying solely on manual QA would most likely take years. But the picture changes with AT.
Even the best QA professionals might occasionally slip up. Running hundreds of tests day after day can make anyone accidentally press something on autopilot or forget a little detail. Einstein, too, made mistakes. That didn’t make him any less of a genius.
From our experience, regression tests are the unsung heroes of QA services. Without them, a well-executed update could break the entire app, and a minor bug fix could lead to an hour-long downtime. That’s the mysteries of code. And the detective to put it all into place is regression testing.
It ensures that existing functionalities remain intact after any alterations or additions.
One of the greatest advantages of automated testing is their scalability. For example, testing a login functionality on 10 different browsers manually would require hundreds of tests, actions, reports, etc. An automated test can execute this task on all 10 browsers in a fraction of the time. And you configure your enterprise testing tool to produce reports only when actual issues occur.
Plus, you can take advantage of parallel execution. It lets you run multiple cases simultaneously on different machines or processes. This dramatically increases your test coverage and shortens SDLC.
Some might perceive test reports as a formality. But they offer tangible benefits:
Overall, the more detailed a report is, the more data it offers about software quality. As you can imagine, creating comprehensive records for each test is a big undertaking.
But automated enterprise testing software generates detailed reports in a matter of seconds. And these documents are quite specific. They provide test results, execution times, identified bugs, etc. And with a screen recording feature you can personally see what issue occurred, why, and when.
To sum it up, automated software testing services are a must for a supreme EA. They save expenses, speed up time to market, and advance overall quality.
Do note, however, that AT should never just replace manual QA. Automated scripts cannot cover many aspects of a fruitful enterprise testing strategy:
All of the above require a human touch to provide you with the best results. Without these tests and a person’s judgment and intuition, any software would lose that “thing” that makes it feel cozy.
So, while you should definitely invest in automation, you should also work with professional manual testing services that are able to cover your EA’s unique needs and delight users.
We’ve covered quite a lot so far. And it’s all bound to help you build a better testing strategy. But what about how it works in practice? Information is power. But it becomes a quality slam dunk when supported by proper actions.
So, let’s take a look at:
An enterprise testing strategy is your roadmap toward success. It allows you to:
But you need to remember that it should be your strategy. Some points from the above list may not apply to your project. Or you may need to add completely new ones. The main thing is not to treat a “good strategy” as a sacred scroll you are to obtain from somewhere. You need to build your own. That’s the only way to create a product of your dreams.
Yet, we do know that organizing this entire process from scratch isn’t exactly a leisurely activity. It’s a lot of work. And it’s important work. So, to secure ideal results, don’t hesitate to reach out to industry experts who can supply what you need. Also, don’t believe anyone who tells you they can “breeze through” this document. If they do, they probably aren’t putting the effort and care your software deserves.
EAs can’t afford to make mistakes. A single, undetected flaw can cripple performance, expose sensitive information, or leave consumers frustrated. Factor in that enterprise software is incredible in size and user base, and one issue can pretty much wipe out an entire business. That’d be a career-ending “fluke” for your company.
For example, the British Library’s system underestimated hacker power and was left offline for months. Alas, we can’t, with a clean conscience, tell you that with specialist testing, similar issues won’t happen. If anything can go wrong, it will go wrong. What you can do is minimize the likelihood of such incidents and secure consumer trust by letting them know you did everything you could.
And that’s achievable only with skillful QA engineers.
From our own and our clients’ experiences, we can tell you that “expertise matters” is a fact. Since the day QA as a practice emerged, it has been evolving to incorporate more and more responsibilities and tasks. Why? Because a quality engineer’s job is not to find issues. Their sole purpose is to secure your project’s success by:
The team behind your project will decide its fate. And that’s exactly why you should surround your EA with professionals who make it their mission to see your app thrive.
Now, here are some examples that demonstrate what a skilled crew can do. These are a few of the projects QA Madness’ specialists have worked on, and some continue to support our clients to this day.
This client is a supply chain software provider. They offer AI-powered forecasting, inventory, and ordering solutions, as well as a digital assistant that generates predictive insights.
The company had a striking growth surge. So, it needed to expand the QA team and find someone to set up the testing process for them.
Our crew:
By focusing on potential problem areas, the team ensured the software’s alignment with the client’s overarching goals of profitability and empowering clients with data-driven insights.
Our next client runs a B2B platform that streamlines procurement and expense management. Their software uses Magento CMS as a base and integrates with various corporate solutions, like ERPs and MRPs. The platform was under active development. It needed testing and post-release monitoring of the increasing number of variations and configurations.
Our team started with manual functional and regression testing to verify core functionalities. It also helped us create better documentation, which was absent at first. Then, we moved on to securing on-demand customization. QA engineers modified and extended Magento’s with each release and tested every new feature.
As the product grew, QA Madness helped with specialist allocation and task distribution to accommodate the progressing workload. The client was able to receive exhaustive documentation, allowing for better knowledge preservation, onboarding, and communication.
This client was creating a business process and task management software. It was intended to be a single app, uniting custom sheets generation, bug and task tracking, time and salary calculations, etc. Though the company already had a QA team, it wanted to find additional experts to handle certain tasks.
Our engineers:
By diligently reporting defects, the QA team significantly enhanced the product’s quality. Their recommendations for feature improvements and process optimization accelerated testing cycles. And the project’s MVP launch secured the necessary investment for the client.
In the olden days, people were impressed by Nokia’s “Snake” game. Today, EAs are treated like nothing special. Software is everywhere now. And most don’t think much about it. But we know how much effort goes into creating it. And we’ve made it our duty to help you build products that impress modern users who are nonchalant about pretty much everything.
So, whether you need expert insights about enterprise testing or a team to carry it out for you – we’re here. We’re here to help change the way consumers perceive “good software.”
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