This article provides guidelines for customers on User Acceptance Testing (UAT). It explains the goals and objectives of UAT, highlights typical issues that may arise during UAT, and offers tips for a successful UAT process. The article also discusses bug prioritization and the use of a test management tool called X-Ray. It provides an overview of the UAT phase, including the timeline and week-by-week details. Additionally, it outlines the prerequisites for the UAT phase and emphasizes the importance of training and preparation.
Main topics in this section include:
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The following information about UAT is useful especially for first communication about UAT or when the customer has low experience with UAT and needs our support.
UAT testing on the project
Seamless Integration: Pricefx UAT
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Testing for Business Impact".
In our UAT testing phase, our primary goals are straightforward and geared towards ensuring a seamless experience for your business. We aim to comprehensively test the end-to-end process within the real environment, integrating the Pricefx software with your CRM, ERP, and other pricing-related tools. Our focus is on confirming that Pricefx performs as expected, effectively supporting and enhancing your business operations. The ultimate objective is to transition the project into live usage, leveraging the capabilities of Pricefx to positively impact your business.
It's important to note what UAT testing is not: it's not about repeating tests from the Feature Sprints, submitting change requests, or simply getting acquainted with the application. Instead, during this phase, your crucial responsibilities include creating UAT test cases and diligently testing them on the QA partition. If any bugs are identified, we encourage you to report them promptly to JIRA. Your acceptance of the solution is pivotal, marking the formal conclusion of the development phase and signaling the readiness to move forward with the live implementation of the project. We appreciate your collaboration in achieving these milestones and look forward to a successful UAT testing phase.
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Efficiently Navigating UAT: Testing, Documentation, and Reporting
During the UAT phase, we've allocated a generous two-week window for testing all your UAT test scenarios. While this timeframe is sufficient, it's essential for testers to be well-prepared and commit daily efforts, dedicating at least 2 to 3 hours each day. We want to emphasize that attempting to tackle the entire testing process in a single day is not the most practical solution, so it's crucial to be ready for a sustained effort over the allocated period. The limited timeframe stresses the need for an organized approach, ensuring that every testing aspect is thoroughly addressed.
In terms of documentation, we've provided test cases for UAT. These serve a dual purpose by not only guiding testers on what needs to be tested during UAT but also offering the flexibility to organize their testing time efficiently and seek clarification on any uncertainties before UAT kicks off. Reporting test results is a key component of this phase. It allows project managers to have a clear overview of the testing progress and what remains to be tested, facilitating effective project management. At the same time, testers gain insights into their completed testing, which is helping them in organizing their ongoing efforts. Additionally, efficient bug reporting in JIRA plays a crucial role in expediting the fixing process.
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Common UAT Issues
When UAT testing lacks a structured plan, it often leads to challenges that impact the effectiveness of the testing process. The absence of a defined plan often results in testers resorting to exploratory testing, making it difficult to keep UAT testing under control. Time constraints are a common issue, with insufficient time allocated for comprehensive testing, leaving the progress unmonitored. Problems arise in accepting the solution as UAT testers express a desire to test more, further complicating the process. The absence of prioritization for test cases contributes to critical issues being reported only towards the end of UAT.
Moreover, the absence of training for UAT testers can lead to reported bugs being more akin to questions, change requests, or misunderstandings rather than genuine issues. This lack of clarity can result in UAT testers spending more time learning to navigate the Pricefx application rather than focused testing. The situation is compounded when UAT testers find themselves multitasking, neglecting dedicated time for testing due to other work commitments. To ensure a smoother UAT testing experience, a structured plan, clear priorities, and dedicated time for testing are essential elements that contribute to the overall success of the testing phase. Let's work together to address these challenges and enhance the efficiency of our UAT testing process.
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Strategic Approach to UAT Testing
To ensure a streamlined and effective UAT testing process, we recommend a thought throughl thoughtful, through and organized approach. Begin by selecting a dedicated group of UAT testers, preferably Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), and ensure their commitment and availability for testing. Verify that they have access to all necessary systems required for UAT. The next step involves creating UAT test cases, aligning them with business cases, and ensuring comprehensive coverage of end-to-end scenarios. These test cases should include checklists outlining specific verification points.
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Prioritize the training of UAT testers on both the application and the UAT process. Conduct a demo session with all UAT testers, demonstrating how to use the developed software and clarifying expectations for UAT testing. This session, ideally based on UAT test cases, should allow testers to explore the functionality themselves, providing assistance with any initial issues or questions. Recording the session enhances its utility, serving as a valuable reference.
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Efficient UAT Testing: Prioritization, Reporting, and Progress Monitoring
UAT testers, equipped with test execution tools such as X-Ray, should prioritize test cases, ensuring that critical functionalities are verified early on in the UAT process. Given the limited time for the UAT phase, it's crucial to keep in mind that there won't be plenty of time for retesting everything covered in Feature Sprints.
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We recommend checking the testing status every day to ensure a steady pace and efficient progress. The UAT Leader should actively monitor the progress of UAT testers, providing necessary support and guidance.
Acceptance
The finalization of UAT testing signifies our readiness to transition into the Go-Live phase and utilize the solution in production. It's important to note that medium and low-priority bugs should not impede acceptance, as they can be addressed post Go-Live during the Stabilization phase. The decision to accept or not should align with the specified timeframe for the UAT phase, with a clear decision at the end.
Bug prioritization
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Test management
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with X-Ray
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X-Ray, is a Pricefx tool for test management plug-in integrated into JIRA. It comes with no additional cost to the project. This tool enhances transparency by making test documentation and results visible to both our project team and customers. Test cases are organized in separate issue types, linked to user stories for clarity on their purpose. It seamlessly supports testing in both Feature Sprints and UAT, ensuring an easy-to-use experience for anyone familiar with JIRA. With functionalities like exports, imports, and workflows, X-Ray has been successfully utilized on Pricefx projects since April 2021 and extended for customer UAT since October 2021.
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UAT on the project
UAT summary
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In the next phase, the customer plays a key role in ensuring the successful conclusion of UAT testing. Tasks include meticulously preparing the scope for the final regression testing, emphasizing the retesting of reported bugs to verify fixes. Additionally, selected UAT test cases are retested on the QA partition to ensure the correct functionality of the application. Daily bug logging in JIRA or another tracking tool is encouraged as a precautionary measure, although the expectation is to encounter no new issues during this crucial week. Frequent progress reports to the UAT test leader ensure transparent communication. The culmination involves final regression testing after bug retesting, leading to the crucial Code Freeze. Final acceptance concludes the UAT phase. Simultaneously, on the Pricefx side, bug fixing and deploying all changes to the QA partition are prioritized, with the last UAT week designated as a Code Freeze, unless a critical issue arises.
Go-Live Transition
UAT Finalization
The finalization of UAT testing signifies our readiness to transition into the Go-Live phase and utilize the solution in production. It's important to note that medium and low-priority bugs should not impede acceptance, as they can be addressed post Go-Live during the Stabilization phase. The decision to accept or not should align with the specified timeframe for the UAT phase, with a clear decision at the end.
The key steps for a QA transitioning to go live include:
Completing testing within Feature Sprints and accepting all user stories in scope
Ensuring the QA partition contains accurate data for UAT
Creating UAT test cases for end-to-end testing and selecting dedicated UAT testers
Appointing a UAT test leader to oversee test result reporting
Finalizing the development of user stories within the specified scope
Ensuring seamless functioning of all integrations on the QA partition
Prioritizing top-level and lengthy test cases for strategic testing
Daily reporting of test results and bug logging in JIRA or other agreed-upon bug reporting tools
Retesting of fixed bugs and final regression testing after bug retesting
Decision to accept or not aligning with the specified timeframe for the UAT phase