ERP User Acceptance Testing: A Practical UAT Guide

User acceptance testing (UAT) is the last chance to find problems before real orders, real stock and real money flow through the new ERP. It is also where users start to trust the system.

What UAT is for

UAT checks that the configured system supports the business processes as agreed. It is not a demo and not a training session. Testers try to break things.

Write end-to-end scenarios

Test full processes, not single screens:

• Order to cash: quote, order, pick, ship, invoice, payment
• Procure to pay: request, purchase, receipt, bill, payment
• Plan to produce: forecast, MRP, production, quality, finished stock
• Record to report: journals, reconciliation, month-end, reports

Include exceptions: partial deliveries, returns, price changes, credit holds, cancelled orders.

Use realistic data

Test with migrated data, not demo data. Real products, customers and prices expose problems that demo data hides. This also tests the data migration.

Who tests

Key users from each department, with time freed from their day jobs. A tester who is also covering their full workload will rush.

Log issues properly

For each issue record: scenario, steps, expected result, actual result, screenshot and severity. Use categories:

• Critical: blocks go-live
• High: serious, needs a workaround
• Medium/Low: fix after go-live

Exit criteria

Agree in advance what "done" means, for example:

• All critical scenarios passed
• No open critical issues
• High issues have agreed workarounds
• Reports reconcile with test data

Sign-off

Process owners sign off their areas. This is a commitment that the business is ready, not just IT.

Common mistakes

• Testing only the happy path
• Partner staff testing instead of users
• No time for re-testing fixes
• Skipping integrations and printed documents

After UAT, move on to the ERP go-live checklist. See also common ERP implementation mistakes.