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Test your Dynamics 365 solution before deployment

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When you implement a Dynamics 365 solution, you want it to meet your business needs and run smoothly. To achieve this, you need to test your solution thoroughly before you deploy it to production. Testing helps you avoid problems that could delay adoption, damage your reputation, and reduce confidence in the solution.

The main goal of testing is to make sure your solution works well and supports your business operations. You want to find and fix any defects as early as possible, so you don't waste time and money later. Testing also helps you build user acceptance and trust in the solution.

This article covers the following topics:

  • The value of testing
  • Types of testing
  • How to define a test strategy
  • How to plan and schedule your tests
  • How to run the tests and handle the outcomes
  • How to get sign-off and approval for your solution

You'll also find some best practices, reference materials, and a case study to help you with your testing process.

Why testing matters

Testing is a vital part of the application lifecycle management strategy. It's not a one-time activity that you do at the end of the implementation. It's a continuous cycle that supports bug fixes and feature enhancements over time. Testing starts with simple manual tests and evolves into more efficient automated tests. Your goal is to make sure that the quality of your solution meets your customer expectations.

Testing also depends on the methodology you use for your implementation. Different methodologies have different testing frequencies and approaches. For example, agile methods require more frequent and iterative testing than waterfall methods. In any case, you need a clear and consistent testing strategy to guide your testing activities and ensure readiness.

A good testing strategy includes the following elements:

  • A clear testing scope based on your business processes and requirements
  • A comprehensive test plan with test cycles that match your solution phases and versions
  • Clear objectives, source documents, and entry/exit criteria for each test type
  • A tracking mechanism that lets you monitor progress, results, ownership, and issues for each test case
  • A process for adding or modifying test cases during each test pass

We'll explore each of these elements in more detail later in this article.

Testing scope

The testing scope defines what you need to test and how you test it. It's based on your project scope, which includes your functional and nonfunctional requirements, your design specifications, your data needs, your geography, your security and regulatory policies, and your overall project goals.

You should define your testing scope early in the project, after you define your solution, and refine it as your solution blueprint takes shape. Your testing scope should change as you add more test cases and increase your test coverage. You should also consider the different types of testing that you need to do at each stage of the implementation. For example, you might start with unit testing and end with user acceptance testing (UAT).

The following table shows some examples of project scope areas and questions that can help you define your testing scope.

Functional requirements

Area Questions
Business processes What are the business processes in scope and how do you test them end-to-end?
Business requirements What are the business requirements in scope and how do you test them?
Design requirements How do you test the design requirements for different areas, such as functionality, integration, reporting, and so on?
Data What are the data requirements for the project and how do you test them? How do you test data migration, integration, reporting, and business intelligence?
Geography How do you test the specific requirements for different languages, markets, and regulations?
High risk areas What are the high risk areas that need special attention, such as critical business areas, customized areas, highly regulated areas, and so on? How do you test them?
Security How do you test the internal and external security requirements for the solution?
Regulatory requirements How do you test the specific regulatory requirements, such as financial, compliance, and organizational policies?
Overall project goals How do you test the overall project goals or success criteria? How do you map them to specific requirements?

Nonfunctional requirements

Area Questions
Performance How do you test the performance goals and expectations for the solution?
Usability How do you test the usability requirements for the solution?
Operability How do you test the operability of the solution?
Maintainability How do you test the maintainability of the solution?
Disaster Recovery How do you test the disaster recovery policies for the solution?
Business Continuity How do you test the business continuity policies for the solution?

As you can see, testing is more than just checking whether the solution meets the functional requirements. You also need to test how the solution performs, how easy it is to use, how well it operates, how reliable it is, and how it supports your business continuity.

Remember to always connect your test cases to the business processes that you're validating. This helps you track, report, and sign off on the readiness of the solution.

Types of testing

There are many types of testing that you can use for your Dynamics 365 solution. Each type has a different purpose, scope, and method. You should select the types of tests that are relevant for your project and plan them accordingly.

Some of the common types of testing are:

  • Unit testing: Testing individual components or units of the solution, such as forms, fields, and workflows.
  • Integration testing: Testing how different components or systems work together, such as data flows, interfaces, and APIs.
  • System testing: Testing the functionality, performance, and usability of the entire system or solution.
  • User acceptance testing: Testing the solution from the user's perspective.
  • Regression testing: Testing the solution after changes or updates, such as bug fixes and feature enhancements.

Learn more about each type of testing.

Test plan

A test plan is a document that describes how you'll conduct your testing activities. It includes the following information:

  • The objectives and scope of each test cycle
  • The test cases and test scripts that you'll use for each test cycle
  • The roles and responsibilities of the test team and the stakeholders
  • The test environment and tools that you'll use for each test cycle
  • The entry and exit criteria that you'll use to start and end each test cycle
  • The schedule and duration of each test cycle
  • The risks and assumptions that affect your testing activities
  • The reporting and communication methods that you'll use for each test cycle

A test plan helps you organize, coordinate, and execute your testing activities. It also helps you track and measure your testing progress and results. You should create a test plan for each test cycle and update it as needed.

Learn how to create and use a test plan.

Test execution and outcomes

Once you have your test plan ready, you can start executing your tests. You should follow the steps and instructions in your test plan and use the test cases and test scripts that you prepared. You should also document and report the outcomes of your tests, such as pass/fail rates, issues, defects, and feedback.

You should use a tracking tool or system to record and manage your test outcomes. This helps you monitor your testing progress and quality. It also helps you identify and prioritize the actions that you need to take to resolve any issues or defects. You should communicate and collaborate with your test team and stakeholders to ensure that your testing activities are aligned and effective.

Learn how to run your tests and handle the outcomes.

Solution acceptance and operation

The final test cycle is the one that determines whether your solution is ready to go live and support your business operations. This test cycle should confirm that your solution meets your business requirements, performs well, and works as expected. It should also confirm that your production environment is ready and that you have a mock cutover test to simulate the deployment.

This test cycle should involve your business stakeholders and users, who should sign off and approve your solution. Signing off doesn't mean that your solution is perfect or bug-free. It means that your solution is good enough to operate your business safely and efficiently. You can fix any minor issues or enhancements later, without introducing unnecessary risks.

After you get the sign-off and approval, you can move to the deployment phase of your project. If you have only one phase, you can switch to the maintenance mode of your solution. If you have more phases, you can continue adding new workloads or expanding your solution. In either case, you should keep testing your solution regularly and use automation tools to make your testing process more efficient. Testing is a continuous practice that helps you ensure the quality and value of your solution.

Reference material

Here are some resources that can help you with your testing process:

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