Software testing is the process of analysing software to find defects (also called bugs or glitches). Software testers test the software to find its defects and report them to the developers. Testing is done for many different purposes, generally falling into one of three categories: Prevention, Detection, and Exploitation. The purpose of this blog is to explain in detail about the concept of Acceptance Testing . It will help you get started with Acceptance Testing in your project. Before reading this blog, you should have basic knowledge about Software Testing.

What is Acceptance Testing? #

Acceptance testing is a process that starts when the development phase of a project is completed and ends when the project is delivered to the client. It is the final phase of the software testing process. Acceptance testing is also known as end-to-end testing or integration testing. It is a part of quality assurance that tests the system to determine if it complies with the requirements and specifications of the client. Acceptance testing is done to ensure that the client’s business requirements have been met, and that the implementation of the solution is correct. Acceptance testing can be done by the client or by the testing team, and it is usually the responsibility of the business stakeholders to define the acceptance criteria.

Why to do Acceptance Testing? #

Acceptance testing is the final phase of software testing, where the customer checks whether the functionalities developed by the vendor are matching to their requirements. The goal of this testing is to validate that the system meets the client’s business requirements. Aside from validating that the system works as expected, completion of acceptance testing also provides you with the most stable system for creating and executing test scripts. This is because the majority of change requests to the system have been concluded, and the team has had time to stabilise the build.

Test Types in Acceptance Testing #

There are four types of tests that are performed in acceptance testing. These are –

Key Steps in Acceptance testing

Receive the deliverables – The first step in acceptance testing is to receive the deliverables. The deliverables could either be a document or a solution. If the deliverables are in the form of a document, then the tester should check the accuracy and completeness of the information. If the deliverables are in the form of a solution, then the tester should verify the output of the solution and match the output with the expected results.

Test design and planning – The next step in acceptance testing is to design the test cases that will be executed during acceptance testing. The test cases should be designed based on the business requirements or use cases of the client.

Test execution – The final step of acceptance testing is to execute the test cases that were designed during acceptance-testing. During test execution, the tester should validate if the system is functioning as expected or not.

Test closure – Once the test cases have been executed and all test results have been verified, the acceptance test is closed and the tester submits the report.

Limitations of Acceptance Testing #

Acceptance testing is usually done by the client, who may not have a clear understanding of the application’s testing process.

Acceptance testing is done in the production environment, so it takes a lot of time.

The client’s decision-makers are not present during acceptance testing, so they cannot be formally guided to verify the system.

Acceptance testing does not provide a good insight into the system’s quality, especially when it comes to identifying defects.

Conclusion #

Testing is an essential part of every software development project. However, acceptance testing is the final phase of the software testing process, where the client verifies whether the functionalities developed by the vendor are meeting their requirements. Acceptance testing is done in the production environment, where the client checks the implementation of the solution and whether it matches their requirements. In conclusion, acceptance testing is the final phase of software testing, where the client checks whether the functionalities developed by the vendor are meeting their requirements.