Practice Makes Perfect: Tips for B2B Integration Testing Playbooks

As any seasoned professional will tell you, testing is the most important phase of any B2B implementation. Utilizing a testing playbook allows your project to start with a clearly defined testing strategy and then make subsequent adjustments as necessary to implement the perfect process for execution.  

For anyone who has competed, whether in athletics, academics, art, music, etc., you can easily relate testing to practicing for the big event. All sports fans remember the infamous Allen Iverson “Practice Rant” (for those of you who don't recall, please click here for your viewing pleasure). This clip is funny and relatable to most people’s mindsets when it comes to testing. Like practicing for any competition, testing can be boring and takes time away from the daily production responsibilities that more directly affect the bottom line.  

As the project leader you are responsible for motivating and inspiring the team. It's a simple equation: to successfully complete end-to-end testing, you need to have the best testing processes established. This will help eliminate uncertainty and allow you to put your faith in the team and plan. Just like when practicing for a competition, testing provides the opportunity to work out kinks before the bright lights of the contest. If you are not able to successfully validate all your scenarios in System Integration Testing (SIT) and/or User Acceptance Testing (UAT), then it’s simply not going to work in Production either. 

Every testing phase brings a new set of challenges and issues that the project leader must navigate. Enacting a clearly defined process keeps your testing on track and the project team focused. Below are three disciplines we use when trying to implement the perfect testing process. 

Keep it Simple 

Simplicity is key. This is why a testing playbook is critical. Each team member has likely been involved in numerous testing phases in the past with different methodologies and processes. For clients who already have clearly defined testing processes, you can adapt and blend their best practices to “keep it simple” for the rest of the team. The process shouldn’t be so complex that you continually need to remind people how to execute. Clearly define the step-by-step process of what is needed from each role with the expected timelines and goals and then hold everyone accountable.  

G1 Tip: Setup 15-to-30-minute daily sync meetings to proactively address any issues and ensure appropriate progress is made.   

Eliminate Uncertainty  

Being able to hit your project timeline has a lot to do with how successfully you navigate the uncertainty thrown at you. Defining a clear testing strategy allows you to implement the supporting processes to achieve the desired outcomes. Clarity is key in keeping all team members on the same page. You can never fully eliminate uncertainty, but your goal should be to reduce it as much as possible.  

G1 Tip: Create an instant message chat group to address any questions or issues that arise immediately. 

Over-Communicate  

This last tactic can be the most tedious, but it plays the most important role of all. Once you have the proper testing strategy and processes in place, over-communication of the same message is a must. As mentioned earlier, all team members are involved in other projects and have their regular full-time responsibilities. Make it a point to continually reinforce what is needed and expected from each person on the team. It is imperative to follow critical verbal conversations with written communications – this paper trail can be referenced later to help a team member digest their role. 

G1 Tip: Send out weekly System Integration Testing status reports and then transition to daily status reports during User Acceptance Testing. 

To recap, in order to implement a perfect testing process, you must first have a testing playbook. From here you can tailor your testing processes to set your project team up for success. Implementing the perfect process is something you will continually improve upon. In reality, nothing is ever perfect but hopefully these tips will give you a starting point. Most importantly, be prepared for when your project team complains about testing - just like Allen Iverson did about practice. Testing may not be exhilarating, but if performed successfully, it will result in a solid testing strategy and a successful Production Go-Live. 

What other testing disciplines do you recommend?