Testing Packaged and COTS Software: Best Practices for Integration & Quality
Testing commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software may seem unnecessary—it’s already been tested by the vendor, right? However, integrating packaged software into your ecosystem is rarely plug-and-play. Configuration is often required, and in many cases, COTS software depends on or extends other systems already in place. As a result, the risk of bugs, misconfigurations, and unexpected behaviors is real. Until these systems are connected and tested as a whole, there’s no way to know how they’ll perform together.
In short, testing COTS software reduces risk and helps ensure a smooth integration. Here’s how and why it matters.
Validating COTS During Initial Integration
To begin with, once you purchase commercial software, the work begins. You’ll integrate it into your environment and validate key workflows to ensure proper function. After setup, you must confirm that the software—and the systems around it—perform as expected. Typically, this usually starts with manual testing.
Frequent Updates = Frequent Risk
Next, remember that COTS software is updated regularly—sometimes daily, often annually, and anywhere in between. If you use multiple commercial applications, their updates are unlikely to align. This staggered cadence creates risk. With each update, you must validate that functionality remains intact and integrations still work.
Unfortunately, manual validation takes time. When updates come in quick succession, testing falls behind. Consequently, that backlog delays fixes, slows access to new features, and increases your exposure to bugs and security issues.
Yes, Commercial Software Still Has Bugs
Let’s be clear: all software has bugs. COTS is no exception. Bugs can arise from development limitations, oversights, or even the tools used to compile the software.
While some updates might not affect your environment, others could. Without testing, you won’t know. Even worse, multiple software integrations can create complex bugs that only appear in specific combinations.
When that happens, you can’t always diagnose the issue yourself. You’re reliant on the vendor to help resolve it. And that takes time—time you’ll spend either working around the issue or reverting to a previous version. In either case, you’ll need to validate the system again.
Why Manual Testing Isn’t Enough
At first, manual testing can help you catch issues. But over time, it becomes slow, repetitive, and reactive. If you find a bug, you’ll spend more time tracing the cause, reporting it, and waiting for a fix. And unlike custom-built software, you don’t have control over the vendor’s response time or debugging process.
This delay slows your ability to deliver value. If you’re managing multiple bugs or pending fixes, it’s harder to maintain stable operations or meet release deadlines.
Automate the Right Tests
That’s why automation is key. You don’t need to automate everything—but doing nothing will cost you. The right automation strategy increases speed, reduces manual effort, and improves test coverage. Moreover, it allows your team to focus their time where it matters most.
To get started, identify critical system flows and common failure points. These are the best candidates for early automation. Once those are covered, automate key functional areas. From there, build end-to-end test flows that validate your full ecosystem.
Always focus on return on investment. Automate tests where the cost of failure outweighs the effort to build and maintain them. With the right balance of automated and manual testing, you’ll catch issues early, reduce risk, and improve confidence across your systems.
Real ROI from Testing COTS
Ultimately, your commercial software is a major investment. Test automation helps you get more from it. By validating updates faster and more consistently, you reduce downtime and support better business decisions.
The result? Faster releases, fewer bugs, and greater visibility into your ecosystem.
Interested in test automation for your warehouse management system? Explore our success stories, read more blog posts, or learn more about the Cycle platform.
