How is UAT performed?

By Nethru Limited (www.nethru.com)

User acceptance Test (UAT) is a testing performed by the Client to ensure the system is completed as in the previous agreed requirement. This test occurs in the final phase of development, before launching the system to the Production environment.
Client, in great responsibility as the last guard of a production system, usually is not an IT expert. How are they going to perform a UAT? Here are some tips which can help.

First, gather the key acceptance criteria
Usually the key acceptance criteria is already defined as the main objectives at the initiate state of a software development. Make sure you clearly define the main objectives at the first place, because you’ll use them again at the UAT.

Second, create User Acceptance Test Scenarios
Test scenarios can visualize the details of the system according business functionality. Test scenarios attributes can include dates, environment, actors(who), roles and responsibilities, results and their analysis process, entry-exit criteria. Check if all criteria are bounded by test scenarios, and prioritize them.
Note that this usually excludes system functionality, e.g. data field validation, security testing, detailed logically testing. System test should already be done by developers before the UAT.

Third, UAT design
Design a UAT form that can list all test scenarios, their expected behaviours, and whether the item should be passed or failed. This might not be important if the project scope is small, but when it involves a team of testers, a designed UAT form will be very handly.

Forth, UAT Test execution
Before execution, identify the test data for UAT. The best is to use live data for UAT, but should be scrambled for privacy and security reasons.
During execution, if possible, UAT happens in a conference room where the users, PM, and other representatives all sit together to walk through and test all the acceptance test cases. If the users accept the UAT, this is a Go decision to get ready to launch to Production.

If necessary, when exceptions are encountered
It sometimes happens. Most of the cases exceptions are passed back to developers for fixing. There is also cases when there is no time to fix or re-test, you can also consider to leave the bug for future releases.