Our last major testing step pre-upgrade is to review the Kronos release documentation for new features.
This may seem like kind of an obvious step, but it is one that often gets missed. Every new version has new features somewhere, and sometimes they are not going to be evident just by utilizing the application. You need to read about every new feature and decide if it is something you want to utilize or include in a process or change your configuration to account for. This helps you make sure that nothing is overlooked and reduces the likelihood of "surprise!" after you've upgraded.
It can also impact the new upgraded user manual you are creating. And finally, it will help you develop an upgrade "script", where you define out all the things you need to do during your upgrade process, especially if some of those things involve configuring new functionality that you never had before but you want to start using right away.
SO...what do you think? Is that what you do now for your testing? Any other great can't-forget-to-do-this testing ideas?
I promise you that those three things are going to help you test more efficiently and more effectively than any old generic UAT checklist that you've hung onto since v4.1...!
Good luck with your upgrade!
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This is the last in a series of articles by guest author Chris Flanders, "The Pioneer of the Schedule-Centric Model". You can reach Chris at http://www.linkedin.com/in/cflanders!
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