Put Your Warehouse Management System to the Test: 10 Critical Steps

In recent years, the demand for warehouse management systems (WMS) has surged, with companies across industries turning to these platforms to enhance efficiency, accuracy, and scalability in their operations.

While WMS implementations can offer significant ROI, they also come with inherent risks—especially when workflows and integrations aren’t thoroughly tested before going live.

Testing serves as a crucial safeguard, helping identify potential issues and ensuring every component functions as expected. By prioritizing comprehensive testing, companies can maximize their WMS investment, reducing the risk of disruptions and setting the stage for a successful project outcome. 

Here are 10 WMS testing tips to consider: 

(1) Follow a detailed plan 

Testing requires careful planning. Given the complexity of WMS, which often integrates with various systems, a thorough and systematic approach is essential. Effective planning facilitates smooth coordination across systems and minimizes the risk of issues during implementation. 

(2) Look for failures

The purpose of testing is to identify weaknesses and areas where the system may fail. Avoid wasting valuable time showcasing its strengths; instead, use the testing phase to uncover any points of failure. It’s essential to stress-test the system’s limits to ensure it can handle real-world applications effectively. 

(3) Test with quality data 

Ensure the testing data is clean, reliable, and comprehensive, covering a range of real-world warehouse scenarios. Simulate both small-scale operations and peak times at full capacity, and include diverse data inputs—such as product details (SKUs, UPC barcodes, weights, dimensions), inventory counts, order quantities, and customer information—to test how the WMS handles different data formats and ensure compatibility. 

(4) Use an organized tool for testing 

Use a testing tool to organize and track scenarios. A well-managed tool helps team members communicate in real-time, ensuring all scenarios and exceptions are tested and no details are missed. Just as important is ensuring accountability among testers so information doesn’t slip through the cracks. 

(5) Divide and conquer 

Divide the system’s processes into groups of in-house experts, such as receiving/inbound, outbound, and inventory management. These teams will know which components need thorough testing, ensuring accountability and a comprehensive testing phase. 

(6) Perform exception testing 

Exceptions are where operations encounter the most resistance and challenges. Don’t just test the happy path—make sure to thoroughly test exceptions, such as short picks, damaged inventory, receiving unplanned items, and setup inaccuracies. Ensuring the system can handle these less common but potentially disruptive situations is crucial for preventing significant issues down the line. 

(7) Communicate and keep records 

Systematic tracking and communication are crucial during testing. While feedback tools help, an escalation point or issue log is necessary for tracking and addressing issues. Avoid using email for tracking—integrate the issue log into the testing plan. As testing progresses, document any new complications in the log to ensure effective communication across the team. 

(8) Test with the real world in mind 

Focus on testing real-world situations, which can be messy and unpredictable. Account for errors, delays, and miscommunications to assess how the operation will perform as a whole. 

(9) Go beyond standard situations

Testing the happy path is just the start. Once common exceptions are covered, focus on unlikely scenarios to see how the system handles them. For instance, test how the WMS performs with 80 users processing orders simultaneously, along with receiving and cycle counting. Overload the system with tasks, reduce resources, or simulate hardware failures to ensure it can handle high demand without crashing or slowing down. This helps uncover performance bottlenecks and issues that may not appear during standard testing. 

(10) Don’t forget physical constraints 

Physical constraints, such as pallet capacity, location sizes, and weight limitations, significantly impact WMS performance. Be sure to test how the WMS incorporates physical data to avoid inefficiencies, like unnecessary labor and time spent on picking.