Lesson 3 of 5
The test process from planning to completion
9 min
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Testing is more than executing scripts. The ISTQB Foundation syllabus describes a set of test activities, and ISO/IEC/IEEE 29119-2 describes test processes in similar terms. The activities are not a strict waterfall. On an SAP program they overlap and repeat for every cycle, from the first unit test to the last regression run before go-live.
- PlanningObjectives, scope, approach, schedule, entry and exit criteria
- AnalysisWhat to test: test conditions from processes, requirements and risks
- DesignHow to test: test cases, data needs, expected results
- ImplementationReady to run: scripts, data, environment, test plan assignments
- ExecutionRun tests, compare actual with expected, log defects
- CompletionClose out: summary report, lessons learned, archive testware
The activities, one by one
- Test planning sets objectives, scope, approach, resources, schedule and the entry and exit criteria for each phase.
- Test monitoring and control runs throughout: compare progress with the plan, report status and take action when things slip.
- Test analysis studies the test basis (process designs, requirements, user stories, risks) and answers what to test, as test conditions.
- Test design turns conditions into test cases with data and expected results, and answers how to test.
- Test implementation gets everything ready to run: test scripts, test data, environment, and the grouping of test cases into a test plan or cycle.
- Test execution runs the tests, compares actual with expected results, records evidence and logs defects.
- Test completion happens at milestones such as the end of a cycle or release: summarize results, hand over open items, record lessons and archive what will be reused.
Where SAP deliverables fit
SAP projects normally follow SAP Activate, with phases Discover, Prepare, Explore, Realize, Deploy and Run. Test activities map onto Activate deliverables. The test strategy is usually drafted in Prepare or Explore and refined once Fit-to-Standard workshops have fixed scope. Most test design and all formal execution for implementation tests and user acceptance happen in Realize. Cutover rehearsals and final readiness checks happen in Deploy. Regression testing continues in Run.
- Prepare / ExplorePlanningTest strategy drafted, then refined after Fit-to-Standard fixes scope
- Explore / RealizeAnalysis and designTest conditions and test cases built from processes, requirements and risks
- RealizeImplementation and executionTest plans, data and environments readied; integration and UAT cycles run
- DeployReadinessCutover rehearsals and final readiness checks; completion report for the project
- RunRegressionTest cases reused for every change, support package and upgrade
| Activity | Typical SAP deliverable | Contoso example |
|---|---|---|
| Planning | Test strategy and test plan per cycle | Priya's strategy names unit, string, integration, UAT and regression cycles with exit criteria |
| Monitoring and control | Test status report or dashboard | Weekly report to Grace: executed, passed, failed, blocked, open defects by severity |
| Analysis | Test scope and conditions mapped to processes | Sell from stock, procurement of direct materials, period-end close in scope |
| Design | Test cases with expected results | Order-to-cash case with expected price, tax and revenue posting |
| Implementation | Test plans in SAP Cloud ALM (or SAP Solution Manager), test data sheets | Integration test plan with testers assigned and data in QAS client 100 |
| Execution | Test runs with evidence; defects | Maria runs the order-to-cash cases and logs a pricing defect |
| Completion | Test summary report and sign-off record | UAT summary signed by Dan and the sales process owner |
One deliverable per activity. Names vary by project; the purpose does not.
SAP's own test management tools follow the same shape. In SAP Cloud ALM, test cases are prepared from solution processes in the Test Preparation app, grouped into test plans, executed in the Test Execution app (each step marked passed or failed, with comments and attachments as evidence) and failed steps raise defects. Many existing on-premise programs still use SAP Solution Manager test suite capabilities for the same purpose.
Monitoring and control in practice
Monitoring means comparing reality with the plan; control means acting on the difference. If Contoso's integration cycle is 60% executed with three days left and twelve tests blocked by one interface defect, the test lead does not just report the number. She escalates the interface defect, reorders execution so unblocked tests run first, and tells Grace what the exit date now looks like. Good status reports always say what is being done about the gap.
- Is execution behind the plan?Yes → find out why · No → keep monitoring and report status
- Are tests blocked by one defect or environment issue?Yes → escalate that blocker and run unblocked tests first · No → go on
- Is the team short of testers or test data?Yes → add capacity or fix the data · No → go on
- Will the exit date still hold?Yes → report the gap and the actions · No → tell the PMO the new date and what it depends on
What would you do?
Contoso's integration test cycle is due to start Monday. The test cases exist, but nobody has checked whether the master data they need exists in QAS client 100. Which test activity has been skipped or left incomplete?
- Test activities: planning, monitoring and control, analysis, design, implementation, execution, completion.
- Analysis answers what to test; design answers how; implementation makes it runnable.
- Each activity produces an SAP deliverable, from the test strategy to the test summary report.
- In SAP Activate, most formal testing happens in Realize, readiness in Deploy and regression in Run.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. Which activity answers the question "what should we test" by deriving test conditions from the test basis?
2. In which SAP Activate phase does most formal execution of integration and user acceptance tests happen?
3. Which deliverable is typically produced by test completion?
4. Which SAP Cloud ALM app do testers use to run test cases step by step and mark each step passed or failed?