Dynamics 365 Testing: 8 Best Practices

Testing Dynamics is important. It’s what keeps your business running. But it isn’t always straightforward. 

In this short post, we outline the 8 best practices for testing Dynamics 365. We'll also link to an extended whitepaper with more information.

That way, you’ll be equipped to find the right solution so testing won't become a hindrance. 

Skip ahead to: 

Why Dynamics 365 testing is hard
The 8 best practices for faster, cheaper and easier test automation

Why Dynamics 365 testing is hard

Dynamics can be challenging to test. Deep object trees and Dynamics ID’s make it difficult to automate even the simplest processes. The solutions we’ve used up until this point can’t keep up. 

Manually testing Dynamics takes a lot of time and it’s prone to human error. It’s impossible to keep up with the number of tests. 

Code-based testing using software like Selenium creates more technical debt. It prevents scaling too.

Related reading: How to Tackle Technical Debt in Dynamics

That doesn’t mean all test automation is complicated. Running an agile shop isn’t possible without automation. But some solutions are better suited to your needs than others. 

With the right strategy and tooling to support your team, you can achieve agility in your testing and release at speed. 

So, what best practices should you be following to create space for the tasks that bring you (and your company) the most value?

The 8 best practices for faster, cheaper and easier testing

1. Automate. Automate. Automate! You can’t achieve agility without automation. Carefully consider who you need to build automation, the strategy, and the type of automation solution you choose.
   
   
2. Close the skills gap. Close the gap between developers and testers with and without coding skills. Finding talent is hard enough. You shouldn’t expect your team to dig through mountains of code to automate tests.
   
   
3. Break down the barrier between people and machines. Rather than using code, build test cases in a way that’s easier to understand. Those who know the business processes best won’t be prevented from contributing to automation. 
   
   
4. Make knowledge collective for better collaboration. Automation becomes a natural part of daily work if you're using a tool that all testers can work with. 
   
   
5. Build independent and self-contained test cases. Instead of building multiple tests in one test script, break them up into smaller, “self-contained” tests. 
   
   
6. Use a tool with a good technical fit. Have an understanding of the applications and technologies that could and should be automated. Consider the integrations you have with other software.
   
   
7. Keep maintenance to a minimum. Keep reworks to a minimum so you don’t get bogged down by technical debt. 
   
   
8. Calculate the ROI. Don’t forget to include key measurements in your ROI calculation, like the implementation and maintenance costs of test automation. We write about that in more detail in our guide to measuring the ROI of test automation.

Software testing takes up 80% of development costs. But it doesn’t have to.

We’ve put together an extended best practices whitepaper to help you in your search for an automation solution. One that works for and with people.