Project Summary
Enterprise software giant SAGE works with Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) listed on their digital Marketplace to expand their offering. SAGE requires vendors to go through an accreditation process, of which rigorous and in-depth functional software testing is an integral part.
Inspired Testing provides this testing-as-a-service, giving SAGE the peace of mind that only products of the highest quality will be listed on its marketplace. Inspired Testing works with the ISV to do a simulated integration of their product with SAGE 200, providing a ‘customer view’ of the ISV installation. The functionality of the installation is verified and Inspired Testing provides a closure report to SAGE, which is used to determine the product’s suitability for listing on the Marketplace.
“The role of rigorous and in-depth testing is integral to our accreditation process. Authentic ISV accreditation reinforces the high standards that have come to be expected by Sage customers.”
- Darren Bainbridge, ISV Partner Manager, Sage UK
Company
Sage
Industry
Software development
Location
Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Solution
Functional Testing
Client Overview
Sage provides products and services for small and medium-sized companies to manage their accounting, payroll, financials, operations and business through a cloud-based business solution.
The Sage Partner Programme has over 3 million companies in 23 countries participating across five partner tiers, including Solution Providers, Developers, ISVs, Business Consultants and Business Professionals. The functionality and compliance of partner systems and processes are critical to the success of the programme.
Problem statement
The client is internationally known for the quality of their brand, an expectation that extends to vendors listed on their marketplace.
The client needs to be confident that the ISV partner solution will not negatively impact the client when it is implemented with the Sage 200 or Sage 50 products.
SAGE ISVs must be accredited in order to be listed on the Sage Marketplace digital platform.
Solution
Inspired Testing has created a structured process for successfully managing the testing of ISVs. This process provides sufficient time for the ISV to prepare the necessary environments, for the required documents to be made available, and for the Inspired Testing team to execute the relevant tests.
Inspired Testing collects preliminary scoping data and hosts an initiation workshop to explain the process. The team conducts a system walkthrough to clarify the nature and extent of the ISV’s solution on the SAGE system.
An independent instance of Sage 200- managed by Inspired Testing- is integrated with the ISV’s technology to provide a ‘customer view’ of the ISV installation. The system’s functionality is assessed against the product support documentation to confirm what is being sold by the ISV.
A set of test cases are produced and executed at least three times to ensure all possible ends have been covered, especially after any changes are made.
The ISV is made aware of these test cases and is given the opportunity to engage with them. Any issues are raised directly with the ISV technical team and resulting updates are re-tested by the Inspired Testing team.
A closure report is created after two weeks of testing and successful bug fixes. The report includes an executive summary and architectural overview of the solution outlining the data exchange between the ISV solution and SAGE 200 or SAGE 50. It records the business scenarios and associated test cases that were examined as part of the testing process and graphs the outputs of these tests. Any outstanding defects are recorded as well as the actions taken by the ISV to rectify them.
The report concludes with a recommendation from Inspired Testing on whether to proceed with deployment to the SAGE marketplace.
Before improvement
SAGE risks its reputation and user satisfaction if they list products from Independent Software Vendors on their Digital Marketplace that have not undergone functional testing.
After improvement
SAGE uses the closure report to decide whether or not to list the ISV solution on their marketplace.
Benefit to the client after implementation
Functional testing-as-a-service minimises the risk to SAGE without the need to commit internal resources to perform the service.
