In the software development lifecycle (SDLC), perhaps the most important phase is User Acceptance Testing (UAT). The purpose of this testing is to ensure that any new process or framework in software is user-friendly. The importance of UAT is manyfold: first, it validates product characteristics and then ensures that compliance and performance are of the expected quality before production.
The primary focus of UAT is on functionality and the usability of the software and doesn’t deal with the technical aspects of it. Its foremost objective is to ensure that the software meets the client’s business requirements.
To maintain and deploy software without bugs and defects, a successful UAT is necessary at all costs. Agile methodologies and workflows can aid UAT in maintaining reduced cycles of testing too. This makes room for QA personnel to use defect tracking software and automaton techniques to instead focus on advanced testing processes.
Therefore, user acceptance testing is an important and imperative phase to test business processes that are integrated into the application or software subsequently.
Objectives of User Acceptance Testing:
- Affirm system set-up for transactions and user access.
- Verify usage of the system in implementing business processes.
- Verify performance on business-crucial functions.
- Ensure the integrity of transformed and additional data.
- Evaluate and acknowledge go-live readiness.
Taking the bigger picture of quality initiatives into consideration, UAT becomes an essential component in any Quality Assurance program. To ensure that your user acceptance testing is performed at the highest standards, it is imperative to have the task assigned to an experienced QA team.
The Role of a Software Tester in User Acceptance Testing
UAT can also commonly be referred to as “black box” testing. Being the final and ultimate QA effort prior to the release of the software, user acceptance testing is performed in an environment that simulates real-world scenarios or production environments. Before it is executed, getting hold of business requirements is typically the first step followed by the planning of test cases. Finally, tests are run to ensure UAT is being performed smoothly. Test plans are vital as they define the scope of testing, who will be managing the test, how any defects will be logged and how the risks are planned.
In many businesses, user acceptance testing is typically done by business users. This helps in depicting a realistic user base that would be interacting with the software or application in a real-world scenario. As UAT is a fundamental part of the overall testing method, proper attention and care are required for the selection of the correct defect tracking tools, environment, and strategy.
Tasks Delivered by the QA Team for a Successful UAT Process
- Establishing tools – Test Management and Bug Tracking tools
- Fixing roles and responsibilities of business users within the tools
- Generating test cases and performing UAT
- Establishing Test Data within the test environment
- Educating business users on the way to implement Test Cases and Log Defects
- Regression testing of bugs found during UAT
UAT brings certainty to both the software development team and therefore the client that the software will get released with no major defects or sudden outcomes. Features are coded in such a manner that the developer feels it best to account for the requirements, but the result of this is not always streamlined with the particular business requirement. With user acceptance testing, you ensure business requirements are met and are communicated effectively.
Similarly, UAT also has an equal and major role to play for Quality Analysts. QA testing team tests a software solution during a specified environment, which could cause any technical errors. User acceptance testing provides the profitable role of confirming that the merchandise works properly in the sector. Therefore, it often features a separate focus from quality assurance, because the importance is more towards verifying business requirements than technical implementation.
Kualitee is a leading defect tracking software company that specializes in user acceptance testing. With its extensive QA and software testing expertise, the company provides a host of solutions for businesses to perform their testing process with ease and accuracy. Get in touch with Kualitee today to find out how this defect tracking software can be a powerful addition to your QA team’s arsenal.
