software acceptance

Responsibilities of project manager during project implementation phase

Project managers (the customer end and the vendor end) have to work hand in hand during the implementation stage of a software project happening at customer site. The key responsibility of both the project managers working on the project is to ensure successful implementation and project closure.

It is the customer project manager who has to take the charge, be in full lead and command to drive the project and keep the responsibility and onus to him and his management. The implementation plan has to be his baby all the time. Unless and until he takes the lead, he will not be able to put the potential fire in his team to accept the product. And then only he will be able to ensure a fully hassle free implementation.

SDLC-VI: Software acceptance

Software Acceptance or User Acceptance is an exercise that happens once the software has been cleared by QC. So far software has been tested internally only (by developers and testers). But customer also would like to test it and accept it prior to finally start using it. The phase is also important in case if any user requirement has been skipped, misunderstood or wrongly built in the software. Clearance by development team and testing team does not ensure that the product is meeting all requirements specified by the customer correctly and appropriately.

User would like to go through each functionality, process and rule with real data to ensure that the software is behaving as per the needs specified. Users during acceptance testing is supposed to run through each screen built and by trying data of both types – right and wrong to ensure proper handling of exceptions in the software.

Once the key users find software functioning fine, customer (management) accepts the software and then it is finally deployed or implemented.

User acceptance can take place at either of the locations – customer or vendor.