User acceptance testing (UAT) means the approval or agreement by the consumer of the software or the person who requested to build it. So, in short UAT means testing a software by the user to check whether it can be accepted or not.

When the product is ready to go live or ready to be used by the consumers, the product is thoroughly tested by the users/client.

User Acceptance Testing Procedure

The user or client could be a person who is buying the product or someone who has got the software custom built through a software service provider or the users to which the product is released ahead of time.

The best way to understand the user acceptance testing process is to think UAT in terms of plan, design, and execute phases. Some of the pre-requisites before the planning phase include the following.

  • Gather the key acceptance criteria

 

This includes a list of things that needs to be evaluated before the product gets accepted.  This is of two types.

 

  • Application Functionality: It is not practically possible to validate all key business functionality due to some reason. A brief discussion with the users who will be involved will give you an idea on how much testing is required.

 

  • Contractual: Here, the initial contract is reviewed and an agreement is reached.

 

  • Scope of QA Involvement

 

  • No Involvement: This is rare

 

  • Assist in UAT: It is the most common method in which UAT users are trained to use the application or help the user in case of any difficulty.

 

  • Perform UAT: Here the evaluation is done by the QA team in the areas pointed by the users. The results are shared with the users where they are compared with the actual results to see if they can be accepted.

 

UAT Test Planning

The process is same as the regular test plan. The most common procedure is to plan for both system and UAT phase. The UAT test plan includes anything relevant like protocols, templates, analysis, etc. Even if the QA team is participating or not, the phase must be planned and everything should be taken in consideration.

UAT Test Execution

UAT usually happens in a room where the users and QA team sit together to work through all acceptance test cases. Acceptance decision is made once all tests are run. The UAT phase ends with acceptance decision.

Important UAT Points

  • The key assumption before beginning the UAT is that all the basic component is tested and working fine
  • UAT is about the basic element in the business
  • UAT is a kind of testing that identifies bugs and decide how to handle them
  • UAT is classified under Alpha and Beta Testing. When UAT is carried out at builder’s environment it is alpha testing. When UAT is carried out in the production environment it is Beta testing
  • UAT is carried out in QA environment when there is no UAT environment

360logica guarantees quality software product through its acceptance testing services irrespective of the present and future risks involved. Our proficiency lies in usability testing and providing quality assurance. This ensures that the client application is tested according to the objectives and set parameters. Our experts are adept in performing error-free integration, effective compatibility testing, and enhanced reliability of applications that are cost-effective in least possible time.