During the course of the software development and software testing life cycle, a program or application is often subjected to a multi-phased quality assurance (QA) analysis process. Unit, integration, and system testing are among the procedures used to assess software performance and functionality. These tests are also designed to detect, and subsequently remove, bugs and errors from the software coding effort.

As software testing enters the final stages, the software application or program is sent to those who will be using it, often consisting of a panel or a select group within a target business or organization. This is referred to as user acceptance testing, or UAT.

A Practical Application
UAT testing gives end users the opportunity to actually work with a program or application before it is implemented to determine whether it meets established requirements. During the QA process, either an in-house or outsourced software testing entity will be called upon to meticulously comb through a program’s code and thoroughly examine its operational efficiency. But no one has a greater understanding of what is expected of a software application than those who will be using it to perform work or run their business.

If a software product is rolled out and implemented before it has been thoroughly tested, it can be extremely costly on a number of levels, especially if malfunctions or failures are discovered after the fact. Therefore, a number of test cases are carried out by end user groups. Their responsibility is to record any program defects and performance issues and then report them to project management. Reports of deficiencies or flaws are then relayed to developers and software testers for correction.

A program or application is deemed acceptable when all performance and functionality testing criteria has been met. Between a rigorous software QA testing process and UAT, those dependent upon the efficacy of a software program are generally satisfied that it will operate according to design.

Software Testing | Vendor Quality Management | Oracle ERP (E-Business Suite)