You know that feeling when third party ERP integrations are slowing down project progress? If so, service virtualization might be the solution for you. As a building block of modern ERP testing, it helps you avoid costly delays and keeps your ERP project on track.

What is service virtualization?

It’s basically software that acts as a stand-in for parts of your system. Gone are the days of using shaky, hardcoded stubs and mocks that only served limited purposes in development. Nowadays, you can use advanced service virtualization tools. These virtual assets can respond realistically to requests, making it easier for all teams to consume them.

You might not have thought of using service virtualization for your ERP project, but it’s worth considering. It can simplify and speed up ERP testing by reducing complexity, cutting down on dependencies, and making everything just a bit simpler. Whether it’s your order-to-cash process, procure-to-pay, MRP solutions, or logistics modules that are causing trouble. Service virtualization can fill the gap and keep you moving forward.

How much can delays in ERP projects cost you?

A quick questionnaire amongst our customers revealed that ERP projects have an average budget overrun of 29% to 31%. If your ERP project has a budget of one million euro or more (which is usually the case), that’s a potential overrun of about €300K.

Where does Service Virtualization help?

Service virtualization can help you keep control of your ERP project by shortening the timeline and establishing a consistent pace of testing. Here are two practical cases to show you how:

Case 1: One workstream is delaying the whole project

Here is something you recognize. Everything is going well with most of your workstreams, but one of them just won’t move forward. Integration testing has come to a halt, your delivery team is getting restless, and the project is losing its mojo.

Service virtualization can step in and provide a missing interface or an realistic simulation. This way, you can get back to your tasks and you can start end-to-end testing earlier. This will not only save you time and money, but it also keeps your team focused on the right thing; delivering value.

Case 2: Troublesome integration testing with third party providers

Working with a third party can bring challenges like limited visibility, difficult access to resources and numerous others. By virtualizing third party systems, you can obtain more control over your timelines and avoid budget overruns. Besides that it takes the pressure off your integration partner. Lastly it allows you to test your end of the integration, without relying completely on the provider.

Conclusion

Although there are some limitations to consider before using service virtualization in ERP testing, it is a valuable tool to have in your ERP implementation arsenal. With the right professional on the job, it will lead your ERP implementation to success.

Written by Dean Bodart