Multi-Application Testing: Securing Complex Business Environments

To say that we live in a time of rapid digital transformation is an understatement.

With technological developments not slowing down, companies need to keep abreast of the latest technologies to anticipate growing customer expectations.

Having an impact on all areas of an organization, from internal processes to customer-facing activities, these changes allow companies to streamline their operations while simultaneously improving the customer experience.

Companies face certain risks when adapting and innovating to stay competitive and relevant. Cross-application testing is one of the most important ways to mitigate these risks.

The importance of cross-application testing

Multi-application testing is the process by which organizations ensure that critical processes run smoothly. This is achieved by testing the functionality of all relevant applications.

In today's digital environment, applications cannot operate in isolation. Therefore, any change to a single process creates an extremely complex effect due to dependencies and impact.

Multi-application testing involves a range of tests, including: Functionality: The primary goal of testing across multiple apps is to ensure that any shared functionality works as expected. Integration: The goal here is to verify that separate applications or components can share data, use services, or interact in any way. Usability: When multiple applications interact, the user experience should remain fluid when moving between different applications.

Complex business environments drive an increasing need to test interdependencies to maintain the reliability and efficiency of your company's many processes. It is essential to test all related applications to secure the management of your business.

If these tests are not performed regularly and adequately, process transformations can lead to disruptions, resulting in lost revenue, customer dissatisfaction, or loss of business reputation.

Keeping one step ahead is the only antidote.

Organizations can identify and resolve issues with the right tools and keep business processes running smoothly.

Steps Involved in Multi-Application Testing

Although essential for organizations, cross-application testing is complex and requires a detailed plan.

Multi-application testing involves multiple steps. They start by defining the scope and requirements, and then documenting how an application builds on or integrates with other applications. Then you can prepare test cases to cover all possible interaction scenarios.

Setting up the test environment can be complex.

It is not enough to rely on your IT testing team, as you also need to consider User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and the necessary business users you will need to involve in the various applications.

Once you have run the prepared test, whether automated or manual, you will need to deal with any errors during the process.

Debugging involves logging the error to share with the development team, after which you retest to ensure that the process is error-free and that the changes have not impacted any other field of application.

Once testing is complete, a report should summarize the entire process, the results, and any known issues. This helps in the decision-making process regarding the release of the application.

However, it doesn't stop there.

Ongoing monitoring is essential to ensure that you catch any issues that were not identified during testing.

Remember that the diversity of apps and the continuous release of new versions (some release a new version every year, every six months, or every quarter) make multi-app testing an ongoing process, which should be integrated into regular test cycles.

Now let's talk about different use cases.

Real-world cross-app testing use cases

The need for cross-application testing is universal. However, specific use cases may vary by industry.

In manufacturing, this may include:

Production planning and scheduling: This involves integrating data from multiple systems, such as an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, a manufacturing execution system, and a quality management system . Procurement Testing Management: Coordinating activities across multiple applications and systems, from procurement...