Business Process Testing – A Comprehensive Guide

How smooth are your business processes? If you’re unsure or curious, this blog is for you. Numerous factors can make or break a business, and seamless processes rank among the top three. This holds true whether you’re a business owner or a software developer catering to other businesses. But how can you be certain your business process is flawless? The answer lies in running an end-to-end business process test (BPT). In this blog, we’ll explore what BPT is, its various types, the challenges you might face, how to overcome them, and, most importantly, how it can drive your success. 

Business Process Testing Definition:

What is business process testing?

Business Process Testing (BPT) is the process of validating your integrated systems and workflows. A typical business involves various components such as:

• Software Applications: Tools that help automate and manage business processes.
• Databases: Systems that store and organize data critical to business operations.
• User Interfaces: Platforms through which users interact with software applications.
• Integration Points: Links between different systems that allow them to work together.
• Workflows: Sequential tasks that complete a business process.

Each component of your business needs to function at its fullest potential. However, that’s just the basics. To truly maximize your business’s potential, these components must work in harmony. The fewer interruptions and malfunctions—ideally, none—the easier and faster your business will grow.

What is a business process in software testing?

Business process testing in software development has a different definition. It focuses on validating end-to-end business processes within an application. This involves testing the integration and interaction of various modules. A typical software development process involves components such as:

• Modules: Different sections of the software that perform specific functions.
• APIs: Interfaces that allow different software components to communicate.
• User Interfaces: Platforms through which users interact with the software.
• Databases: Systems that store and organize data used by the software.
• Integration Points: Links that ensure different modules and systems work together.

BPT helps identify defects and ensures the software supports effective business operations. A typical way to do that is by simulating real-world business scenarios.

Types of BPT:

Business Process based testing can be done in two ways:

• Manual Business Process Testing.
• Automated Business Process Testing.

And here are the main differences between the two:

Aspect	Manual Business Process Testing	Automated Business Process Testing
Execution Speed	Slow, as it relies on human effort	Fast, as tests are automated
Accuracy	Prone to human error	High accuracy due to consistent automated execution
Resource Requirement	Requires more human resources	Requires initial setup but fewer human resources later
Cost	Higher ongoing costs due to labor	Higher initial investment, but lower ongoing costs
Scalability	Difficult to scale manually	Easily scalable with additional automation scripts
Maintenance	Time-consuming and manual	Automated tools can manage and update tests efficiently
Feedback Loop	Slower feedback due to manual processes	Faster feedback with continuous integration

What are the steps for conducting automated business process testing?

Automated BPT starts with planning. We analyze requirements and develop a detailed test plan. In the coding phase, you create comprehensive test cases and scripts. Testing involves setting up the environment and executing these scripts. It is during this phase we identify the defects in our process. During deployment, we manage these defects and integrate tests into the deployment pipeline. The release phase includes generating reports and maintaining test scripts. Finally, continuous monitoring ensures quick resolution of issues. It also uses feedback to enhance the business process testing framework for ongoing effectiveness. This systematic approach ensures robust and effective business process validation.

Why is Business Process Testing Needed?

The right Business Process Testing Software could be the difference between you and the top 1% in your industry. It can help you:

• Bring in harmony: Test each component and harmonize its operations.
• Identify Issues Early: Identify and rectify weak links before they affect your operations.
• Ensure Consistency: Maintain uniform performance across different platforms and environments.
• Bring in ease of work: Stakeholders can test and validate without coding.
• Bring in Systematic Standards: Establish consistent standards in test creation, maintenance, and execution.
• Speed-up testing: High-speed testing that also reduces expenses.
• Document Components: Keep track of test results, manage version control, and generate reports.

Challenges with Business process testing

BPT has its own set of challenges in terms of successful implementation. Let’s see some of them:

1. Complexity of Business Processes

Business processes often involve many integrated systems, making testing complex and time-consuming. Each component must be interactive while being accurate. Ensuring that all integration points work harmoniously is a significant challenge. Failures at these points can disrupt entire workflows.

2. Resource Constraints

Manual testing demands considerable time and skilled personnel. This can lead to higher costs and bottlenecks. Manual testing is also prone to errors. It is unreliable and inaccurate. The point of testing is to be efficient. But you can’t achieve that when your testing itself is inefficient. That is what manual testing results in.

3. Dynamic Changes:

Business requirements change from time to time. This makes it difficult to keep test cases updated and relevant. In some cases, there are inconsistencies in the testing environments. Such variations lead to complications in the identification and resolution of issues. This eventually ends up giving inconsistent results.

Common Business Process Testing Strategies

Just like most challenges, there are solutions for these too. Here’s how you can tackle them:

Automation

Implementing automated testing tools can address many challenges. Automation speeds up your testing processes, reduces human error, and ensures consistent execution.

End-to-End Testing

A complete validation of business processes covers all integration points and workflows. By doing so, all components are guaranteed to work together as intended.

Regression Testing

Regression testing is the process of making sure that new changes have no negative impact on existing processes. Performing regular and automated regression tests can help you catch issues early.

Performance Testing

Check the system’s performance under various conditions. This lets you see if it can handle workloads, and identify performance issues.

Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD)

For instant feedback and correction, integrate BPT into CI/CD pipelines. This technique allows continuous testing. 

Comprehensive Test Coverage

Make sure that all critical business processes are covered by test cases. Remember to include edge cases and scenarios that are difficult to test manually. Also, keep the test cases updated to remain relevant.

Standardized Processes

Don’t forget to use the standardization and documentation features. They help you maintain consistency and reliability across different environments and testing cycles.

Identifying a Robust Business Process Testing Software

The next crucial step is choosing the right software that fits your needs. Here are some essential criteria to look for:

1. No-Code Test Automation:

Users can create and execute tests without having to write code. This makes testing accessible to non-technical users and speeds up the test creation.

2. AI-Driven Testing:

Utilises artificial intelligence to optimize test processes and identify potential issues quickly.

3. End-to-End Testing:

Supports comprehensive testing of entire business processes, from start to finish. This ensures all components work together in a synchronized way.

4. Cross-Platform Compatibility:

Can test across various platforms such as web, mobile, mainframe, and cloud applications. This reduces limitations in terms of location.

5. Parallel and Distributed Testing:

Allows simultaneous execution of multiple tests, reducing testing time and increasing coverage.

6. Integration with CI/CD Tools:

Integrates with Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines. This enables continuous testing and faster feedback loops.

Leading Business Process Testing Software (Avo)

To save you some time searching for software, we introduce Avo Assure. Avo Assure not only ticks all these boxes but offers more to solve your business process testing challenges.  With its 100% no-code automation, AI-driven testing, and end-to-end test coverage, it ensures efficient, accurate, and comprehensive testing. Avo Assure supports cross-platform compatibility, parallel and distributed testing, and seamless integration with CI/CD tools. This makes Avo a robust solution for all your testing needs. Book your demo here.