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Siebel eRoadmap Implementation Methodology

The Siebel eRoadmap implementation methodology accelerates project implementations by focusing on the key strategic and tactical areas that must be addressed to maximize the customer's return on investment, while minimizing their business risk to promote a successful completion of a Siebel business application project. The Siebel eRoadmap implementation is comprised of activities logically grouped into distinct stages to make sure proper project management and control techniques are used during the life cycle of a project. These stages (illustrated in Figure 1) are iterative in nature, allowing customers to realize the benefits of their new business system. The test process maps to this iterative approach by aligning testing to the early stages of eRoadmap, to support early and ongoing testing and communication.

Figure 1. Siebel eRoadmap Implementation Methodology

Testing is an end-to-end process that begins when you begin to define the requirements for your Siebel application. The first stage is the development of a testing strategy by the testing team that establishes priorities and defines the testing approach, resources, hardware and software requirements, and the appropriate test cases. The output of this stage is a comprehensive test plan.

After the test plan is created and published, the test team begins to create detailed test cases. Common inputs to this stage are use cases, business processes, design documentation, and business requirements.

Functional testing begins after prototyping begins and continues throughout the configuration of the Siebel application as developers test each unit they configure. Tested units are then moved into the testing environment, where the appropriate units are combined to form a corresponding module. The test team then verifies whether or not the module functions correctly (for example, returns the correct value), has the correct layout (for example, drop-down menus and text fields), and the interface is correct. After validating a module, functional testing continues by combining two or more modules to create a valid business process or scenario to verify whether or not all modules work together as required.

Performance testing begins after you have a business process configured. The testing begins using a bottom-up approach that normally uses three servers to begin testing the performance of a single user. This stage provides an assessment of whether or not the application satisfies the key performance indicators (KPIs).

After all of the designated business processes are tested individually, the testing continues in a production-like test environment. This phase requires an image of the full database and all interfaces with the Siebel application (such as CTI, middleware, and email). The first step is to establish a benchmark of performance using the completion of a performance test by running all of the defined business processes. Next, perform a scalability test by adding users until you reach the number of users expected to use the system over the life of the application. Finally, execute a reliability test over an extended period of time to determine durability of the application and capture any defects that become visible over time.

After completing the functional testing, the next stage is the data conversion testing to validate that the converted data is correct. System and integration testing starts after the data conversion testing is completed, and the data is loaded into the test environment.

System and integration testing validates that the Siebel application operates with other systems and interfaces. Test the Siebel application in a test environment that allows the Siebel application to interoperate with the other required systems (such as CTI, load balancer, and middleware).

User acceptance testing (UAT) consists of testing the Siebel application using the appropriate business owners and end users. When performing UAT, make sure that you have users who are familiar with the existing business processes.

For more information about the Siebel eRoadmap implementation methodology, see Planning a Successful Siebel Implementation.