Testing enterprise software like projectfacts: A guide

Setting the goal

Digitalisation is on everyone’s lips. Especially in recent years, many companies have found that digital business processes are not just a means to an end, but offer concrete advantages – whether through more efficient workflows, better customer service or less administrative overhead.

Setting out to find enterprise software with the idea of digitalising your own company is commendable but rarely productive. It is better to set yourself a clear goal that you want to achieve with the help of digital processes.

Such a goal might be, for example …

• All our prospective buyers should be recorded digitally and receive a quote within two weeks at the latest.
• Our accounting department should spend 50% less time per month writing invoices.
• Our employees should document their project hours online and bill them to our customers.

The more specifically you formulate your goal, the easier it will be for you to find the right software solution.

Analysing processes

Depending on which goal you are pursuing with the software solution, different processes are affected – e.g. creating contacts, writing quotes, recording project hours or creating invoices. The next step is to map these processes digitally.

Many business owners or project managers choose the (seemingly) obvious path of digitally “recreating” existing processes. However, company processes are often the result of historical growth and, on closer inspection, not as efficient as assumed. In many cases they are only retained because employees have grown accustomed to them over time.

When you invest time and money in enterprise software, you should rather take the opportunity to fundamentally question the processes in your company. Focus on the desired outcome, not the existing process. This is where it is worth drawing on the expertise of consultants. They will help you to structure your processes and show you ways to digitalise them as effectively as possible.

You can recognise reputable software companies by the fact that they talk to you as an equal. They don’t want to sell you a standard product, but work with you to develop a suitable concept that you will be happy with in the long term.

As 5 POINT AG we have been supporting companies in digitalisation for over 20 years. More than 20,000 users are already benefiting from the advantages of digital processes.

Make use of our experience too. Talk to our consulting team.

Documenting requirements

Once you are clear about your goal, you have already recorded the first and most important requirement. We call it the core requirement. It is a “must have”, i.e. a requirement that a suitable software solution must fulfil in any case. To achieve the goal, further requirements often need to be met as well. You should document these requirements too.

When evaluating and selecting suitable software solutions, it helps to categorise your requirements, e.g. “Must have”, “Nice to have” or “A”, “B” and “C”. Focus on your goal as your guide.

• Requirements that must be met in order to achieve the goal receive a high priority (“A” or “Must have”).
• Less central requirements that make your (working) life easier but are not decisive for the goal should be assigned to category “B” or “C” or “Nice to have”.

The list of requirements can also serve as a criteria catalogue for your purchasing decision. The must-have requirements are your exclusion criteria. If a product does not meet one or more of these requirements, simply remove it from the list. This saves you valuable time and creates clarity from the outset about what you expect from the software – for yourself and for the software provider.

The responsible consultants review your criteria and discuss which requirements can be met, which cannot, and where there may be a need for adjustment. The general principle is: No software will be perfectly tailored to your requirements “out of the box”. Therefore, focus on the most important points on your list and discuss with the provider what adaptations are feasible beyond that.

If a software meets all the important requirements, you can start testing the software itself.

Testing the application

The test phase serves to get a first impression of the software’s interface and to understand the essential operating concepts. You should not try to “upload” your company into the test account and use it productively. The data migration requires too much time and experience for that. If you ultimately decide against the system, the effort was in vain and in the worst case you may even lose important data.

If you want to look more closely at how certain business processes are mapped in the software, it is best to ask your consultant. They have years of experience, know many tips and tricks and will be happy to show you the process using prepared test data.

Tip: No one expects you to “master” the software and find your way around on your own after just a few minutes. It is better to use your time wisely, let the process be shown to you and then try it out yourself.

In order to test a software solution sensibly on your own, you should be clear about the possibilities and limitations of the test phase.

What you can achieve in the software test phase:

• Getting a rough overview of the software’s functions.
• Getting an impression of the “look & feel” and the user interface.
• Trying out selected processes using test data as examples.

What you CANNOT achieve in the software test phase:

• Setting up the system independently (user groups, permissions, etc.).
• Importing real data from your existing systems and working with it.
• Running through processes exactly as they will work later.

Creating a shortlist

Once you have gained an insight into the software solutions, you move on to the final decision round. To do this, you consolidate all remaining tools into a list and evaluate them based on your requirements catalogue, e.g. using a scale of ten.

You can also weight the individual requirements against each other using a points system. But also give subjective criteria room in the evaluation, e.g. how much your employees like the look of the software or how they rate the user interface.

Now you only have one thing left to do: Make a decision. We wish you every success with your new enterprise software!

PS: After the purchase comes the implementation. In this article we present 5 typical mistakes in software implementations and give you tips on how to do better in your company.

Curious?

Would you like to digitalise your company but are still looking for the right software? Feel free to contact our consulting team. We will support you in analysing your processes and discussing your requirements.

Would you like to get a first impression of projectfacts? Get your free trial account here.