Effective Test Strategy Workshop Insights

1. Prepare Test strategy workshop
2. Implementation and follow-up
   1. Participants in the test strategy review
   2. Lead the workshop
   3. Workshop output
3. Subsequent reviews
4. Follow up of the testing strategy

Prepare Test strategy workshop

The time varies depending on the level of detail available for review and the scope and complexity of the solution.

Before the workshop, participants should make sure that they know as much as possible about its structure, prerequisites, and the types of topics to be covered.

The solution architect will prepare the workshop in advance by examining the project artifacts. Useful artifacts include:

• Solution blueprint: provides the context of the project scope and the general design that should support this scope.
• General project plan: explains the context in which several types of tests will be conducted, dependencies and impact of test results on the project.
• Test strategy document: provides a description of the key areas to be examined.
• Test plans: Test plans created from the test strategy for specific types of tests, such as a separate test plan for system integration or UAT tests that provide more specific details on test cases, resources, and reporting.

It is also helpful that the implementation teams have reviewed the recommended testing strategy practices: Test Strategy for Finance and Operations Implementations|  . If the implementation team sends a list of questions before the workshop, this also allows for a targeted discussion.

The above list is not an exhaustive list of documents used to establish the workshop framework. It is also useful to have the schematic of the solution architecture (technical and business processes) and high-level business processes,

During the workshop, some documents may not be fully completed or approved internally beforehand, which should not be an obstacle to the workshop. It is important that the scope of the project has been determined, and a conceptual plan has been developed to determine how the solution will be validated.

The format of documents is not critical if information is easily accessible by project members. If the information listed above is not documented or is documented in a way that is not readily available, you should first ensure that the relevant documents are produced.

We recommend that you use diagrams and visual representations to provide high-level summaries, where possible. These diagrams, charts and graphs are a straightforward way for the entire team to communicate with each other and with leaders about plans and designs.

The Test Strategy workshop is not intended to be an exhaustive review of all detailed test cases and tests that will be conducted as part of the project. The project team will provide a relevant summary and highlight key concerns, and that the solution architects will look at potential problem areas.

Implementation and follow-up

Participants in the test strategy review

The workshop is a fantastic opportunity to ensure that the project team knows the testing strategy and its consequences. It is necessary that the following participants be present:

• The workshop should be attended by representatives of the client organization and partner organization contributing to the implementation to provide collective information on strategy and status to all parties involved.
• The workshop should include project managers, solution architects and test managers from the client organization and partner organization.
• Depending on the complexity of different areas and associated business risks, consider inviting the following: integration, data migration, BI, security.

Lead the workshop

The workshop will be led by the solution architect, but the team will have to present information on the test strategy. Each section of the agenda must have an owner assigned to it within the implementation team. The owner shall provide an overview or summary of the strategy, scope, plans, design, and status that apply to this aspect of the strategy. The team should allocate some of the workshop’s time to this summary. The rest of the time should be reserved for questions and answers with the solution architect.

The agenda is defined in advance by the solution architect and project management. Depending on the complexity of the strategy and the readiness of the team, the review may take longer or shorter.

The top priority for the workshop is to review the overall testing strategy, which should be prioritized rather than analyzing one area too much in detail. During the workshop, you can expect a discussion on scope, design, planning and approach. The Solution Architect can provide advice directly during the meeting. However, these workshops are not intended to allow the solution architect to design the live test strategy but rather to review it. Feedback may modify the existing design or plan, but detailed work in these areas will be done by the team after the workshop.

Workshop output

The outcome of the workshop is a concluding document. This document is a response to the information provided during the workshop. In general, these conclusions are structured as assertions, risks, and problems.

Subsequent reviews

In most cases, the review of the test strategy performed at the beginning of the implementation is sufficient. Sometimes subsequent examinations are required. The following examples describe scenarios in which additional reviews of the test strategy may be required:

• Problems related to the initial review of the test strategy: the workshop of the test strategy is not always able to cover all the required information, for example due to gaps or major conflicts in the understanding of the scope solved by the team, or the lack of a relevant testing strategy. In these cases, animating the initial workshop at the in-process is useful because it highlights these problems so that they can be solved, but repetition of the workshop will then be necessary.
• Significant scope change: an implementation may be affected by major changes to the scope or approach. After a major change to the scope, it may be wise to re-evaluate the test strategy.
• Organizational changes: periodically, organizations experience significant changes during implementation. Events such as mergers, acquisitions or disposals can have a significant impact on the design of the solution architecture and require reassessment.

Follow up of the testing strategy

Once the workshop is facilitated and conclusions discussed, the elements identified as risks or issues and associated action items for mitigation and resolution are managed until their completion by the project team.