Upgrading your warehouse management system (WMS) can present an increased risk to your business, but the upgraded functionality is key to continued competitive advantage and longevity in an omnichannel-driven supply chain. Warehouse managers facing the challenge of upgrading their WMS components or other systems can use system test automation to reap cost savings and avoid delays throughout the process.
Please refer to Part 1 of this post for a discussion on what system test automation is and why warehouses should leverage its features. In the continuation of this discussion, read on for direct benefits to your enterprise if you utilize system test automation during a WMS upgrade.

Automating Testing Reduces the Time Needed to Complete Testing When Upgrading a WMS

Anyone who has ever been a part of a WMS implementation or upgrade knows that many fixes will be delivered throughout the project. Therefore, you cannot be sure that something that worked properly yesterday will continue to work properly tomorrow. Project budgets and timelines rarely account for all the re-testing that should be executed. However, if automated tests have been created using a user-friendly GUI-based application such as Veridian TestLead, then tests can be re-executed anytime new code or configuration is introduced.

Mitigate Impact of Turnover

Your organization must find, hire, train, and cultivate the right talent that will comprise the testing team. It is not uncommon during the lifecycle of a WMS upgrade to lose testing team members due to promotions, transfers, or career changes. When that happens, your team can lose knowledge and bandwidth. However, if your team has been leveraging an automated testing solution, the team will have the automated tests and the ability to scale up automated testing efforts.

Labor Costs Decrease

Labor costs associated with system testing decrease when using automated testing. Automated testing systems do not require personal breaks or time away from the office each day. They do not complain when asked to test after hours. Their pace of testing does not slow down during a long week, and they don’t take vacation or sick days. They tirelessly execute tests until they are complete. One frequently occurring scenario is one where the software vendor delivers a fix at the end of the day; after being deployed in the early evening hours, automated tests can be run so that the system is ready for the project team in the morning.

Automated Testing Is Scalable; Ideal for Upgrading a WMS

Upgrading a WMS often coincides with increasing the scalability of your business. To stay effective, system tests must be scalable as well. Automated system tests can be altered to account for changes in volume and scope, including new Material Handling Equipment (MHE). Moreover, a properly implemented automated testing solution can help identify points of failure associated with peak processing times.

Validation-Driven Processes Reduce Rework, Maximizing Result Accuracy

Validation-driven processes with automated system tests reduce the amount of work required to retest something that was previously tested. This maximizes result accuracy. Detailed reports contain summaries of test executions and detail-level information on individual steps and corresponding pass/fail results, including screenshots. Therefore, your team members can find the cause of a problem faster, reducing downtime and saving money for your company.

Implement Test Automation Before, During and After Upgrading WMS

Test automation can benefit your operation before, during, and after upgrading or implementing a new warehouse management system. Consider using automated testing during unit testing of modifications, changes to functional processes, as well as regression test cycles for new code deliveries. Since test executions are repeatable and consistent, multiple rounds of testing can be executed quickly and accurately.

Save Money, Save Time, Boost Productivity and Make Full Use of Resources With Automated Testing

Whether used for system upgrade or as a part of your ongoing maintenance and support cycle, automated testing presents a significant opportunity to save both time and money. To learn more about how Veridian TestLead can automate your system testing, visit Veridian online today.