What is the entry and exit criterion for user acceptance testing?

The acceptance is quite an important choice for the clients or the customers. It plays a very important role when it comes to the addressal of the issues related to the acceptance of the software system or application by the client or the customer.

Like any other testing, the acceptance testing also has some of its pre defined entry and exit criteria that a software system or application needs to satisfy before it can undergo the acceptance testing process.

This article is focussed up on those entry and exit criteria only but first let us take a glimpse of what acceptance testing really is so that it becomes easy for us to understand the entry and exit criterion for the acceptance testing.

About User acceptance Testing

- For the field of software engineering, this kind of testing has been termed as the user acceptance testing since it is carried out in order to obtain confirmation from the user or the client that the developed software system or application meets its specified and agreed up on requirements and specifications.

- This confirmation is provided by the SME or the subject matter expert who is the owner of the software system or application under testing after carrying out several trials and reviews.

- The user acceptance is therefore one of the final software testing methodologies that is carried out before handing over the software system or application to its owner.

- The user acceptance testing is preferably carried out via the users of that software system or application which are in the contact of the client or mentioned in the users requirements specification document.

- As many as the formal tests required are created by the test developer or designer based on the different levels of the severity of the errors and flaws.

- Typically, for an ideal acceptance testing the test designer should handle the creation of the formal system and integration test cases for the same software system or application.

- The user acceptance testing serves as a means of final verification of the well functioning of the software system or application by creating the real world conditions for the its usage as it will used by the customer and required business function under process.

- The system needs to perform as intended because then only it can be subjected to its reasonable extrapolation in the process of product at the same level of the stability and reliability.

- Unlike other software testing methodologies, the test cases of the user acceptance testing do not serve to identify the simple problems, errors and show stopper defects (system crashes, failures and hangs etc).

- It is so because all such defects are fixed by the testers and developers in the earlier stages of the software testing life cycle.

- There is another reason for this testing to be performed which is to give confidence and assurance to the client or the customer that the system will perform well in the production phase.

- Some contractual or legal requirements are also signed at the end of the acceptance testing.

Entry Criterion for User Acceptance Testing

1. The transition meeting of the integration testing must be signed off.
2. The functional requirements and the business requirements have been met and verified in the integration testing.
3. The test cases for the user acceptance testing are ready to be executed.
4. The test environment for the UAT should be ready.
5. Required access of the resources for testing should be granted.
6. All the critical bugs have been previously addressed.
7. The reports of the previous testing should be handed over to the client.

Exit Criterion for User Acceptance Testing
1. No defects are found.
2. Defects with the medium priority are found.
3. There is no hindrance in the business process.
4. The UAT meeting is signed off.