Date: 21 October 2009
Time: 11.00am - 12.00pm
Presenter: Geoff Nurse
Within ASAP the translation of the SAP Programme based Blueprint generated Requirement definitions, into inherently traceable Realisation Build and Test configuration and customised deliverable components, is critical to a projects success.
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The approach to managing the testing of delivered components therefore, especially bespoke ones, presents special considerations and challenges, when defining meaningful Programme Test Strategy and Test Stage Plans. While this is true of all SAP projects where there is risk of failures, it is especially applicable when working within strict Validation requirements such as the Pharmaceutical, Insurance & Financial Sector’s, where GMP and JSOX/SOX compliancy is additionally required, and rigorous testing and strong stakeholder participation is required.
The choice during SAP Project Preparation and further configuration of programme supporting delivery tools in the form of SAP’s Solution Manager, which comes free with ECC6, has in recent years come of age and is proving vital to achieving effective and successful SAP project implementations. Solution Manager offers many powerful project wide features especially applicable to and supportive of:
- SAP Functional Consultant led streams undertaking Business Analysis with clients implicating SAP configuration/bespoke customisations with associated specifications
- Basis staff undertaking Baseline releases/transports/upgrades and having to do post go live support and health monitoring checks
- Configuration and Change Management staff and related activities
- Test and Verification stages and types/levels of testing including Quality Gating during:
- Commissioning (Unit test for configuration components)
- Installation Qualification (Unit Test bespoke components)
- Operational Qualification (System, Integration,Data Migration, Authorisation, Security, Non-Functional, Regression)
- Performance Qualification – (Cutover /Pre-production)
This presentation:
- Described the key quality/test considerations in using and configuring Solution Manager on large SAP Projects and lessons learnt from previous engagements including impacts on:
- Business Process/Requirements interpretations, including off system/Non-SAP system processes
- Testing approach during Unit Testing – re-usability
- Testing features - Full Blueprint to Realisation and Final Preparation baselining
- Test Cases, Plans, Package Management as well as Test Incident Handling features
- OutlininedSAP SAP Test Acceleration and Optimization (TAO) regression testing features of Solution Manager as well as the cost benefit to organizations in deploying HP’s Quick Test Pro /Quality Centre with associated plug-ins to SAP Solution Manager. Note: TAO benefits leverage off inherent SAP Process/transaction supporting libraries available within Solution Manager that facilitate implementation of cost effective SAP regression testing including automated testing of changes.
- Presented typical scenarios encountered in organizations where SAP Solution Manager was not included in the overall programme approach.
Presenters Biography:
Geoff Nurse is a SAP Senior Test Manager who has been with Sogeti (a Capgemini company) for the last 9 years. He has worked for over 25 years globally in ICT, initially in both embedded microprocessor development and test on over 20 turnkey commercial, military and space projects. He has in the last 6 years specialised and undergone training in SAP Delivery and Testing and been the Test Manager on 5 large ERP/ISU projects in Ireland and UK. He is an Electronic Engineering Graduate from the University of Cape Town and who has also completed university commercial studies. He is also a member of the Sogeti Ireland team who won and were invited via tender to participate in the European Space Agencies (ESA) Galileo Ground Sensor Station Project, aimed at achieving In Orbit Validation of EU and ESA’s being fully deployed, satnav supporting satellites and ground stations.