User Acceptance Testing
The Methodology that enables systems to go live, secure in the knowledge that critical processes operate correctly
- Ensures applications are functional and stable and combine with critical business processes correctly
- Ensures customer satisfaction by preventing exposure to incorrectly operating systems
- Ensures all transactions are properly integrated into the business process
- Invests control of the testing project with management
It is no longer acceptable to expect the business or their users to perform the function of User Acceptance Testing at go live stage. This will expose the business to possible problems and customer dissatisfaction. The risk to business processes is equally important. The problems that could occur within critical systems may result in expensive and time consuming down time, redevelopment and testing. Correctly implemented User Acceptance Testing will mitigate these risks and reduce the cost of redevelopment and time-to-market.
What is User Acceptance Testing?
Although User Acceptance Testing (UAT) is one of the final stages in the Product Lifecycle, the involvement of UAT testing throughout the development process is very important. Business processes and requirements should be paramount throughout the development process. UAT provides the final users of the system with the opportunity to effectively and efficiently test the system prior to live state.
Whilst developers can test against the system specification and technical documentation and check that it is fit for purpose, User Acceptance Testers test against the business requirements and check that it is fit for purpose.
Why choose SQS-UK for your User Acceptance Testing?
The diagrams show the main risk areas when User Acceptance Testing is performed. The first diagram shows a passive structure for UAT Testing. The second diagram demonstrates how SQS-UK would introduce more proactive and effective methodologies within the testing process.
How will SQS-UK conduct your User
Acceptance Testing?
SQS-UK has proven methodologies for User Acceptance Testing.
- SQS-UK would initially carry out an analysis of business requirements. The end result is a clear vision of what is to be tested and why it is necessary.
- Analysis of testing requirements follows. This is more extensive and entails documenting the areas of the development that require testing, the methodologies that will be employed to test them and the results to be expected after testing.
- The SQS-UK UAT methodology will validate the system under test to meet the users needs and provide confidence in its use.
- SQS-UK will conduct the planning and documentation of User Acceptance Criteria in order to continually modify the criteria in-line with the changing requirements and software and will prioritise the criteria and requirements in order to minimise risk.
- SQS-UK will set up and maintain the UAT environment and design User Acceptance Tests.
- Different types of tools will be evaluated and their appropriateness for UAT considered.
- SQS-UK will monitor and control the UAT process while continuously carrying out risk assessment throughout the life cycle.
- SQS-UK will measure test effectiveness, enabling a prediction of future test effort and corrective maintenance to be made. Monitoring changes to the testing process will deliver metrics about errors found during and after User Acceptance Testing. This can give an on-going measure of test quality.
Measurement and Metrics
SQS-UK use many methods to measure the effectiveness of User Acceptance Testing:
- Test Management Control Panel
- Test Plans
- Test Script Creation and Execution
- Use of Defect Log
- Risk/Issues Log
- Final User Acceptance Testing Report
The combined use of all these reporting methods shows, in the Test Management Control Panel, easily understood reporting metrics presented in a graphical form. This ensures that control of the testing function is always retained by the business managers and provides the proof of effectiveness of the testing project.
