Why Business-Led UAT Drives Successful ERP Implementation

In ERP implementations, User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is often viewed as a formality, a final sign-off before go-live. But in reality, UAT is far more than a box to check. It’s the last opportunity for the business to validate that the new system supports daily operations, meets regulatory requirements, and enables users to work efficiently from day one.

Juuli Semi

Juuli is a Business Engineer with a strong background in business process development. Her focus areas include ERP transformation, improving procurement processes and developing organisations’ process intelligence capabilities.

Unfortunately, many UAT cycles fall short of expectations. In our experience, the main reasons for this are poor scoping, lack of engagement from end-users, weak data or fragmented coordination. The result? Gaps discovered after go-live lead to business disruption, urgent workarounds or even rollback decisions.

At its core, UAT is not a testing activity – it's a business validation process. And far too often, not treated with the required gravity.

The following practical and experience-based checklist helps business stakeholders, project managers, and process owners lead UAT with confidence and purpose. Whether you’re deploying SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle or any other ERP platform, these steps will help you build a more structured and effective UAT phase.

1. Define a Sharp and Prioritised Scope

Why it matters: Testing everything is impossible and unnecessary, so focus on areas where it matters the most. UAT must validate what truly impacts business operations.

What to do:

• Align scope with business-critical processes, such as Order-to-Cash, Source-to-Pay or Record-to-Report.

• Prioritise scenarios before testing based on risk, volume and change impact – not just coverage.

• Define clear, measurable acceptance criteria for each test case, so testers know what to check and when to sign off.

Example: If pricing logic has changed, focus on testing the automated order pricing, rather than the rarely used manual discounts.

2. Engage the Right Users

Why it matters: Real business users bring real insight. However, without guidance, even the most experienced users can't test effectively.

What to do:

• Include testers from across business roles and regions to capture real-world use cases and variations.

• Provide structured UAT onboarding that includes system overviews, process walkthroughs and clear expectations.

• Make users feel accountable, not just involved. Their sign-off should mean real approval.

Example: Run a short simulation session before testing begins. Have users rehearse one process from end to end with support.

3. Use Relevant, End-to-End Ready Test Data

Why it matters: Without real-like data, even well-designed test scripts will fail to reflect actual business conditions.

What to do:

• Use anonymised production-like data or generate realistic mock data that reflects day-to-day complexity.

• Ensure data enables complete process flows, not just single transactions. E.g. linked customer orders, deliveries, and payments.

• Prepare pre-loaded test data sets for common scenarios and edge cases to avoid testing delays. Don’t forget to gather all necessary data well in advance to keep test execution efficient and uninterrupted.

Example: For testing intercompany sales, make sure data exists for both entities, including master data, pricing and tax logic.

4. Coordinate with Purpose to Own the Process and Drive Progress

Why it matters: UAT can stall without ownership. It’s a business-driven effort, but it needs structure and guidance.

What to do:

• Assign process-specific UAT leads who understand both operations and system logic. They are the bridge between IT and business.

• Enable daily or real-time communication by setting up support channels (chat, hotline, and weekly meetings) for immediate tester assistance.

• We all love Excel, but it’s not the right tool for UAT. To avoid fragmented spreadsheets, use one centralised tool for test tracking, defect logging and progress monitoring.

Example: A shared dashboard in a centralised tool that displays test progress and open defects by process area enables business stakeholders to stay in control.

5. Validate End-to-End Business Scenarios

Why it matters: Most breakdowns in ERP systems occur during the transitions between modules. That is where processes rely on cross-functional flows and system integrations.

What to do:

• Assign a dedicated E2E testing owner who ensures full business scenarios are tested from trigger to outcome.

• Validate all integrations, both internal (e.g. ERP to WMS) and external (e.g. ERP to bank or tax authorities).

• Include exception handling, workflow routing and cross-functional approval paths in your scenarios.

Example: Test a make-to-stock production scenario where demand planning triggers a purchase requisition for raw materials, procurement converts it into a purchase order, goods receipt updates inventory, and production consumes the materials to complete a finished product. This ensures that MRP, inventory valuation, and production confirmations all align across systems.

Start Treating UAT as a Business Validation Process

A successful UAT doesn’t just catch bugs. It builds confidence across the business. When users can complete real-life scenarios in the new system, trust increases, adoption improves, and the risk of post-go-live chaos decreases.

For UAT to deliver this value, it must be driven by the business, not fully delegated to IT. UAT isn’t about testing everything, it’s about testing the right things. Engage real users, use real scenarios, and manage the process with the same discipline you'd apply to a go-live.

This mindset makes all the difference.