IEC 61850 standard defines a large smorgasbord of different information models that can be used for safe commissioning and maintenance testing. These functionalities potentially allow for safe testing with the substation still in operation.Over the past two years the Finnish and Swedish TSOs have worked together with an independent test institute and consultancy company on a series of projects to explore the possibilities with IEC 61850 and to develop new commissioning and maintenance test procedures adapted to IEC 61850 systems. The first part of the project aimed to investigate procedures that could be used for site acceptance and maintenance testing. Based on available functionality in the standard an approach was envisioned for commissioning and maintenance. In practise few of the available test, simulation and blocking indications have been consistently implemented in the first generation of IEC 61850 devices. It was therefore necessary to move to a more interoperable (but not standardised) approach described in this paper.With the 2nd edition of the IEC 61850 standard there is a basis for more efficient and standardized testing methods. The finding from the project is that only a subset of the available possibilities for testing in the IEC 61850 standard are normally implemented. More consistent implementation and use of the test related functionality is required. To obtain this, utility and system integrator engineers need to get deeper involved in the definition, implementation, interpretation and use of the various test related information models and enter into active dialogue with the manufacturers of IEDs and test equipment.