Dynamics 365 F&O/AX
Dynamics FO / AX
Organizer:
- Organized by
-
-
Reply To: Microsoft updates & upgrades. How are you managing these?
-
Lizzeth,
See my answers inline.
Staffing model:
-How many IT staff members are supporting your solution?
We have 2 admins overseeing the update process. Roughly 15 SME’s working through a set of test scripts detailing all functions in F&O our company uses. Our developers are consultants, and are engaged when/if errors arise.
-What are the IT roles (PM, BA, Developer, etc.)?
ERP Admin (our admins are more technical than the average role), Developers.
Testing:
-What is your standard testing approach for updates and/or upgrades?
Using LCS update schedule, determine what upgrade you need to take. Implement to a TEST or UAT box when that upgrade becomes available. Since you have to stay within 3 versions, this occurs about quarterly for my company.
-How do you ensure MSFT updates are incorporated without breaking existing functionality?
Test scripts were created which cover every aspect of the system we use. It is especially important to focus on customizations. MSFT often removes extension capabilities, objects, etc. and so dev is needed to fix those. Also important to update any ISV’s you have in conjunction with MSFT versions.
-How often are they performing full regression testing?
The whole “update test cycle” for our company is regression testing. It is done in the Sandbox prior to taking the update to PROD. Again, it occurs roughly every 3 months.
-How many test cases are being executed during regression testing?
Our test scripts are roughly 150 tasks between our 7 legal entities.
Work management:
-Are system enhancements and bug fixes placed on-hold during regression testing?
Our company continues to process bug fixes and enhancements during regression testing. It just depends on the work load at that time.
-Who in your org is responsible for reviewing and understanding the impacts of an update?
The ERP admin is responsible for ensuring all impacts from MSFT updates to PROD are understood and mitigated.
-Once the update(s) is understood, are all regression test cases executed every time there is an update?
YES. For our company, we test every task on each update. The tasks also grow as new processes, or functionality are added. It is a living document and will save you SO much headache down the line.
The most important advice I can give is be proactive. Get in the habit of checking release schedules and notes and planning accordingly.
