software bug

Aug 5 2009   10:00AM GMT

User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

Posted by: Jaideep
UAT, user acceptance test, testing lifecycle, software testing, product testing, software product, software development, customer specification, interfacing, functional testing, functional requirement, functional specification, business rule, business process, integration test, software build, validation testing, defect fixing, bug fixing, software defect, software bug, appearance testing

UAT or user acceptance testing comes as the last exercise in software testing lifecycle. It is probably the first phase or beginning of customer preparing to takeover the charge of the product. Actually this is a sort of test drive by a perspective buyer who has studied well about a car, has made up his mind to buy it but wants to satisfy himself by actually sitting in the car and driving it. Even if you have made up your mind to buy a particular model and after sitting in the car or after having the test drive, something does not suit you, the decision can take 180 degrees turn.

The same usually does not happen in UAT because the unlike car the software has been built as per customer specifications. UAT usually includes interfacing (if any), look and feel, ease of usage, functional requirements, integration test etc.

Like a car test drive, here also use runs the complete software to assess if the software is meeting their requirements completely or not. It is the last place where the user gets to determine whether or not the software meets his or her requirements. But one thing is very clear – whatever defects occur during UAT, their fixing cost goes manifold as compared to the same defects occurring during the initial building of software.

Main difference between the earlier testing done at development place by testers is that here the business process and validations built in the software will be checked by a business process owner with real data.

Probably in this busy world, if the end user, by any chance is available during the development and testing phase to do appearance, functional, process and validations testing, it would save a big amount of time and money.

Mar 9 2009   10:28AM GMT

20 points for organizational self evaluation to check where it stands in Software Project Management

Posted by: Jaideep
1. organizational self evaluation, software project management, Project Management Methodology, project metrics, customer expectations, organizational goals, continuous improvement, software development, software testing, software bug, product release, process integration, project management evaluation checklist, customer feedback, customer request, innovation process, software implementation, project implementation, post implementation, project manager, project team, roles and responsibilities, on-site project, off-site project, project overrun, Risk analysis, Risk Plan, empowerment, Code repository, test case repository

1. Does a formal Project Management Methodology exist in your organization?
2. Are you using some metrics to check if this is the right methodology?
3. What is the degree of improvement required in your current methodology to meet your customer expectations?
4. What are your organization’s primary and secondary goals?
5. Do you agree that there is always a scope for continuous improvement in everything we do – be it process, method or skills?
6. Do you agree that a product developed without any pre-defined procedure has varying chances of success?
7. Do you have a culture of performing development and testing as separate activities?
8. Do you assure a bug-free product at the time of its release?
9. Do you see all your processes integrated going hand in hand?
10. Do you get your payments from customer in time?
11. Do you have a process to capture customer feedback and request?
12. Do you have an innovation process in place?
13. Do you have a post implementation review in place?
14. Are your project managers and their teams aware of their roles and responsibilities – on-site and off-site?
15. Do you have project overruns often?
16. Do you have a risk analysis and planning process in place?
17. Are your employees delighted in doing whatever they are asked for?
18. Do you have empowerment process in place?
19. Are you certain about success in your projects or is it by chance/ by luck?
20. Do you have a repository of code, test cases etc. for re-use?