Testing SAP R/3: A Manager's Step-by-Step Guide

Chapter 8. Assembling the QA/Test Team

Any SAP project—whether it's a brand-new implementation; is in production support; includes an upgrade; or requires adding new modules and/or bolts-ons, extending a rollout to a new division or company site—will need testing and quality assurance (QA) resources to conduct the required testing. Some of the most often asked questions related to SAP QA and testing resources are:

• When are they needed?

• For how long are they needed?

• Where will they come from (i.e., internal transfers or external hires)?

• What will they do? What are their roles and responsibilities?

• What skill sets do they need to have?

• How do we measure their success (i.e., how will testers' performance be evaluated)? What are the criteria for doing so?

• Whose authority are they under (i.e., whom do they report to)?

• How will they interact with the other project teams (i.e., Basis, Development, Functional, etc.)?

• How much will they cost?

• How will testers' performance be evaluated? What are the criteria for doing so?

Answers to these questions are not always (if at all) readily available in any SAP implementation methodology. Nevertheless, the inability to answer these questions often plagues the SAP project, which can lead to an unstable system in production. Many SAP projects assemble test and QA teams from resources taken away from their primary job responsibilities because they are underutilized. Identifying and screening the "right" testing and QA resources is often time consuming and could ...