Lesson 4 of 5
Production verification testing
12 min
Once the cutover tasks are complete, there is a short window before the business is let in. In that window, a small team proves that production works: the system is reachable, users can log on with the right access, data arrived intact, interfaces connect and key transactions can be performed. This is production verification testing (PVT), sometimes called a smoke test or production readiness check. It is the last test before the go-live decision, and it runs in the one system where mistakes are real.
The rule: safe, small, reversible, agreed
Everything you do in production leaves a trace. Postings hit the ledger, stock movements change inventory, output can reach customers and suppliers, and interface messages can reach banks and carriers. So PVT is designed around four rules:
- Safe: prefer checks that read rather than write. A display, a report or a configuration check cannot hurt anything.
- Small: the minimum set that covers each critical process and integration. PVT is not another regression cycle.
- Reversible: where you must write, the document can be reversed or cancelled, and the reversal is part of the test.
- Agreed: any posting in production is approved in advance by the accountable process owner, with the exact documents, amounts and reversal steps listed.
A test postings policy
The most debated PVT question is whether to post test documents in production. Some companies forbid it; others allow it under strict rules because a real posting is the only way to prove number ranges, account determination and output in production. Decide the policy before the dress rehearsal, write it down and get finance and audit agreement. A workable policy for Contoso, agreed by Dan as finance process owner, looked like this:
| Policy element | Contoso rule |
|---|---|
| Who approves | Finance process owner (Dan) for anything that posts to the ledger; logistics owners for stock movements. |
| What may be posted | A named list of scenarios, for example one goods receipt and one supplier invoice for a low-value part in plant 1710, then reversed. |
| Values and objects | Minimal quantities and values; an agreed internal customer or test cost center; no real customer output. |
| Output control | Customer and supplier output for test documents is suppressed or routed to an internal address. |
| Reversal | Every document is reversed or cancelled in the same session, and the reversal is captured as evidence. |
| Record | Document numbers, reversal numbers, who, when and approval reference kept in the PVT log for audit. |
A written test postings policy turns a risky debate into a controlled procedure.
- ApproveDan signs the named scenario, values and reversal steps in advance
- Suppress outputCustomer and supplier output routed to an internal address
- PostOne goods receipt and one supplier invoice for a low-value part in plant 1710
- VerifyNumber ranges, account determination and output checked
- ReverseEach document reversed or cancelled in the same session
- RecordDocument and reversal numbers, who, when and approval reference in the PVT log
Building the PVT set
Start from your critical processes and integrations and ask, for each, "what is the cheapest check that would tell us it is broken?" Then put the checks in the order they would be run and assign an owner and evidence to each.
| Area | Example check (Contoso) | Type | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access | Key users log on and open their launchpad; a sample of roles shows the right apps. | Read | Security lead |
| Master data | Display CMC-ALT-100 in plants 1710 and 1720; check standard cost $150 and $156. | Read | Data owner |
| Balances | Compare migrated GL balances and open items for company code 1710 to the signed legacy totals. | Read | Dan |
| Inventory | Stock by storage location 171A, 171B and 172A matches the cutover count. | Read | Inventory owner |
| Order to cash | Display migrated open orders for Great Lakes Fleet Services; create an order in sales area 1710/10/00 and save without delivering, then cancel it if policy allows. | Read / reversible write | Maria |
| Interfaces | Connection tests to bank and carrier; message monitoring shows no errors. | Read | Integration lead |
| Output and printing | Print a delivery note to the Detroit warehouse printer from a test document. | Reversible write | Logistics key user |
| Jobs | Scheduled background jobs are released and the first run completes. | Read | Basis |
An excerpt from Contoso's production verification checklist.
Evidence and defects in the PVT window
PVT evidence follows the same rules as any test: who ran it, when, in which system and client, expected versus actual, and a pass or fail. Record PVT runs in your test management tool (for example a dedicated test plan in SAP Cloud ALM) rather than in chat messages, so the go/no-go group can see status at a glance. Any failure is triaged immediately: is it go-live critical, does it have a workaround, can it be fixed before the decision deadline?
- Is the failure go-live critical?No → log it with an owner and continue PVT · Yes → next question
- Is there a workaround the business owner accepts?Yes → document it and report it as a condition at the go/no-go meeting · No → next question
- Can it be fixed and retested before the decision deadline?Yes → fix, retest and attach the evidence · No → escalate to Grace as a no-go risk with the fallback options
What would you do?
During PVT, Maria finds that the sales order she created for Great Lakes Fleet Services priced at list price instead of the customer's contract price. The decision deadline is in three hours. What should Priya do first?
- PVT proves production works before the business is let in; it is short, focused and runs where mistakes are real.
- Prefer read-only checks; any write must be small, reversible and approved in advance.
- Agree a written test postings policy with finance and audit before the dress rehearsal.
- Record PVT evidence and defects in your test tool so the go/no-go group sees status clearly.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. Which PVT check carries the least risk?
2. Who should approve a test posting to the ledger in production?
3. What must every PVT write action include?
4. What is first-transaction monitoring?