Testing a platform with sample business transactions

Assess an accounting platform using the same small set of fictional transactions in every trial or demonstration. Trace each item from its source to the accounting record, report and bank match. Record what you observe in the proposed plan and user role.

Prepare a controlled sample

Use one fictional Australian business, one test period and the same opening information for every candidate. Ask your accountant to review the example accounts and GST settings before using the sample as a model for real books. Give the presenter the source documents and expected business events, while allowing them to show how the product handles the work.

Include:

Add a stock movement, project cost, payroll item or foreign-currency transaction only if your business needs that path. For each case, note which records should exist, what remains outstanding and which exceptions need review. Do not choose a GST code merely from a supplier name or sample amount.

Observe the accounting effect

For an invoice payment, check whether it reduces the outstanding invoice without creating another sale. Where the bill is recorded as a payable, check that its bank payment clears that payable without creating another expense. After a partial payment or credit, inspect the remaining balance and the link to the original document.

Ask to see the accounting record and related report after each action. Note the document reference, date, account and the visible record of who made or approved a change. If the system suggests a bank match, establish whether accepting it matches an existing item or creates a new one.

Test an exception

Submit the same sample import twice. Observe whether the product rejects it, flags it or creates two candidates, then ask how a user would find and correct the result.

Present a bill with missing evidence and ask how it can be held for review. Change a detail after approval and check whether the earlier decision can still be understood. These are observations to make in the proposed configuration, not assumed product features.

Mark each outcome works as required, needs configuration, needs a manual check or does not meet the requirement. Note the exact plan, add-ons and permissions shown. A demonstration account may have access that an ordinary staff role does not.

Reconcile the sample

Compare the source list with the accounting records: each intended event should appear once, and each bank movement should have an explainable match or outstanding state. Where export is offered, check whether another reviewer can understand the period and retrieve its source documents. Record who will maintain any manual check and how much work it adds to the process.

Key Observations from Sample Transaction Testing