Lesson 3 of 5
Business testers
10 min
Listen to this lesson
Business testers are the people who know whether Contoso's alternators can be ordered, built, shipped and billed the way the business actually works. They are also people with day jobs, often busy ones. Getting good testing from them depends on three things the test lead must arrange: time (backfill), skills (training) and support during execution.
Backfill: time is not free
A business tester who is "released 50%" but still carries a full workload will test in the gaps, late and tired. Agree release percentages in writing with line managers, and name who covers the day job: temporary staff, colleagues, deferred work or reduced targets. Track actual availability weekly. If Maria is booked for UAT 60% but only managing 20%, you need to know in week one, not week four.
| Phase | Typical business tester involvement | What to agree with line managers |
|---|---|---|
| Explore / design | Workshops, review of test scenarios | A few hours per week |
| SIT | Review results, run selected tests, judge business correctness | Part-time release, scheduled days |
| UAT | Lead execution in business roles; accept or reject | Substantial release with named backfill |
| Cutover and PVT | Production verification, first-transaction monitoring | Weekend and go-live availability |
Plan business tester time per phase. The numbers vary by program, so agree them explicitly.
Training: what business testers need to know
- The new system: navigation in the SAP Fiori launchpad, the apps for their process and how the S/4HANA process differs from ECC.
- The test tool: how to find assigned tests, record step results and evidence, and raise a defect (for example in the Test Execution app in SAP Cloud ALM).
- What good evidence looks like: document numbers, expected versus actual, the test user and client.
- How to write a defect: steps to reproduce, data used, expected versus actual, business impact.
- The rules of the test client: which data is theirs, what not to change, whom to ask.
- 4 weeks before UATConfirm release and backfillLine managers sign release; test users requested in client 100.
- 2 weeks beforeHands-on trainingLaunchpad, process apps, test tool and defect writing; practice script.
- 1 week beforeReadiness checkEvery tester logs on, opens an assigned test and records a practice step.
- UAT day 1Kick-off and clinicFloor-walkers on hand; daily stand-up begins.
- WeeklyAvailability and morale checkActual hours vs agreed; blockers removed; recognition.
Support during execution
Business testers stall when a test is blocked and nobody answers. Put support where they work: floor-walkers (consultants or analysts who sit with testers), a daily stand-up of 15 minutes to clear blockers, a test clinic slot each afternoon for harder issues, and a clear rule on response times for blocking defects. Make sure test users have the right business roles in the test client before day one; nothing destroys tester confidence faster than authorization errors on every screen.
Choosing the right business testers
Line managers sometimes release whoever is least busy. Ask instead for people who do the process every day, know its exceptions and are respected by their colleagues. For Contoso's order-to-cash UAT, Maria brought in a colleague who handles credit holds and one from the Chicago shipping office, because those are the places where the old process had the most workarounds. Good business testers find the defects that matter, and they become the champions and super users who carry the new system after go-live.
- Was the test executed or reviewed by a named business tester?Yes → next question · No → it counts as SIT evidence, not UAT acceptance
- Did the tester work under a business role, not a consultant user?Yes → next question · No → rerun with the right role
- Does the evidence show expected versus actual results?Yes → next question · No → send back for evidence
- Is the process owner's acceptance recorded?Yes → counts toward UAT exit · No → ask the owner, such as Maria for order to cash
What would you do?
Week two of Contoso's UAT: Maria has completed 30% of her order-to-cash tests against a plan of 60%. She says the customer service queue keeps pulling her away. What should Priya do?
- Agree business tester release and backfill in writing, and track actual availability weekly.
- Train testers on the new system, the test tool, evidence and defect writing before execution starts.
- Provide on-the-floor support, a daily stand-up and fast answers for blocking issues.
- UAT acceptance must come from named business testers and the process owner, not consultants.
Check your understanding · not graded
Lesson check
1. What is backfill?
2. What should a readiness check a week before UAT confirm?
3. Which support practice clears blockers fastest during UAT?
4. A consultant executed a UAT test because the business tester was busy. How should the result be treated?