23 Aon eSolutions
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Risk Management Software Deployment Your Guidebook to Success
In previous chapters, we've emphasized the importance ofthe client and
RMIS provider working together. This is especially important during
user-acceptance testing (UAT). UAT is, at its core, a process meant to
determine if the software complies with the requirements and success
criteria defined for therisk management information systembeing deployed.
Why is user-acceptance testing so important? UAT sets the stage for users to
embrace a new system in three key ways:
At the most basic level, UAT lets end users get their hands on the system, before
it goes live.
UAT gives end users the opportunity to ensure that the system will support their
business processes.
And finally, UAT allows end users to be sure that the RMIS is functional and useful
from their perspective.
Here's how we coach clients to build UAT into their process:
First: Engage users from the beginning
The actual users should be involved early in the process to make sure the RMIS
provider understands their business requirements and that test cases and test
scripts align with those requirements (more on test scripts in a moment). In fact, we
encourage users to help define the actual test steps for the business testing, and that
happens at the very beginning of the project.
Clients often ask us who should be involved in testing. We recommend having end
users from various parts of the organization.
When we start an implementation, we begin talking about testing as early as the
requirementsgathering, or discovery, stage and we make sure it's included in the
project plan.
Second: Test each deliverable as it is delivered
Testing deliverables as they're delivered means that user input should be solicited
throughout the deployment – not just at the end of the implementation or at a
critical juncture. By doing so, the client and RMIS provider are more likely to uncover
issues that will be most effectively addressed before the next deliverable is delivered.
