This is part II, click here to read part I.
Real World Testing(RWT) is the time to start doing more configuration and adding real data to your test. Keep it to a minimum at the beginning because you aren’t sure if you are going to be using this app in 25 days. If it’s a CRM app bring a couple of contacts in and then work those contacts in your test system and your old system simultaneously. If you are using the OpsAnalitica Inspector you should import your restaurant checklist and inspections into the Inspector.
I told you that nothing is free and for parts of this test you could be spending more time doing things in the old system and the new system simultaneously. It is in your best interest to move fast in evaluating.
As you start your RWT it is a good idea to make a list of Use Cases that your current system does or that you would like your new app to do. Check off those use cases as you go. It adds a little discipline to your test and will help you sell your app and evaluation process to the rest of the team if you choose to move forward.
As your test moves on, and you are more confident that you like what you are seeing you can slowly ramp up your commitment to the new tool by adding more data to it and continuing to configure advanced functionality.
Remember, the goal of the initial evaluation was to move fast and make a quick determination if this tool had a snow balls chance in hell of working for you. The RWT is about putting the app through it’s paces.
Make sure you are testing with real world scenarios. Large data sets can expose issues in a tool. For example when I worked for a large sandwich franchisor we had over 4,000 restaurants. Managing 4,000 locations is more complicated than managing 20 locations. With 20 locations, you could go into each record and update something if there were a change. When you are dealing with 4,000 locations, you need the ability to do bulk uploads. Look for those types of scenarios in your business and start testing those use cases as your trial continues.
If at any time during your test you realize that this isn’t going to work for you. Then you should cut your losses and move on. Not to beat a dead horse, cancel as soon as you make the determination that you are pulling the plug.
If you are happy with your results and you are starting to see some benefits of the app in time savings, for instance, you may want to calculate a simple ROI on the app.
A Simple Time Savings ROI can be calculated like this:
- Break down the average employee cost to the company per hour. (you can tack on 20% overhead to their annual salary for taxes and benefits)
- Calculate how much projected time is this going to save you in a week or a month.
- Then extrapolate that out to all of the people in your organization that are going to be using the app.
- Then compare that to the cost of the app and implementation. (this amount might be $360 annually per license multiplied by 20 users + $10,000 for implementation)
- Figure out how many months it will take you to start getting a return on your investment.
You can click here and use our busy work calculator to figure out how much time something is costing you.
Here is a Simple ROI example:
| Employee Annual Salary | $50,000 |
| 20 % Employee Overhead | $10,000 |
| Total Annual Employee Cost | $60,000 |
| Cost Per Hour* | $31 |
| Time Savings in Hours Per Week | 3 |
| Time Savings in Dollars Per Week | $92 |
| Number of employees using app per week | 20 |
| Total Annual Savings* | $90,000 |
| Total Monthly Savings | $7,500 |
| Cost of App per Employee Per Year | $360 |
| App Implementation and Training Cost | $10,000 |
| Total 1st-year cost of App | $17,200 |
| ROI | 523.26% |
| Payback period in Months | 2.29 |
| * (based off 49 weeks @ 40 hrs per week) |
I will be the first to tell you that this is an incredibly simple ROI calc, if you are a finance person and you want to spend a week building a hyper accurate one, be my guest.
Quick Tip: If the ROI that you calculate is horrible then you need to factor that into your decision. Something that makes your life easier but doesn’t add true financial value should be evaluated fairly. There are other things besides ROI and ease of use to consider, this may be a long-term play to free up resources so they can be directed to other projects or higher ROI generating activities.
Real World Testing(RWT) Decision Time:
You have tested the app under real world conditions, you have determined that you can or cannot live without certain pieces of functionality or you have found work arounds. You have calculated an ROI. Now it is time to decide if you want to move to a limited pilot or cancel the app.
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