Plan for Successful UAT

To achieve successful User Acceptance Testing (UAT) requires setting a testing strategy and writing a plan. However for many projects this means starting with a blank sheet of paper which makes the process take longer as you try to cover all the issues. The UAT Plan Template provides a solid structure with suggested text for all the common areas to do with planning testing. Also there is example text and suggestions to guide you in dealing with the specific issues to do with your project.

The UAT Plan Template enables you to:

• Write a UAT Plan Rapidly
• Focus On Your Project Issues
• Manage Your Stakeholders’ Expectations
• Schedule UAT Effectively
• Know When to Start UAT
• Make Informed Decisions about Accepting a System
• Manage Unexpected Events
• Estimate Required Resource
• Start Planning Now

To get an immediate start on planning your UAT click the "Buy Now" button to buy it for the February 2010 price of £4.99.

If you want some further information a FREE sample of the template can be downloaded here. If you need more information then a further sample can be obtained by registering your e-mail address here.

Write a UAT Plan Rapidly

The User Acceptance Testing Plan Template is based on the international IEEE829 standard for test documentation which is specified as part of the ISTQB testing qualifications. The standard covers requirements for creating a test plan in sixteen sections. The template:

• Maps the requirements for a test plan to the specific needs of UAT.
• Maps the sixteen sections to the five key plan principles.
• Suggests good practise in each of the sixteen sections.
• Provides example text that can be used or tailored to your project.

Rather than staring at a blank page you have a document to start editing immediately.

Focus On Your Project Issues

The UAT Plan Template deals not only with the common issues to do with testing but provides information on how to deal with the unique ones to do with your project. In particular it:

• Outlines a six stage process for running UAT.
• Outlines the six connected sub-processes for developing tests.
• Provides a framework for deciding the scope of testing.
• Guides you on why specific User Acceptance Tests should be run rather than repeating a subsection of the system testing.

It gives you a framework which allows you to concentrate on the specific issues to do with your project.

Manage Your Stakeholders’ Expectations

The template helps you to manage the expectations of stakeholders by providing a plan structure and also specific guidance on the:

• Four main stakeholder groups.
• Ten objectives for a test plan.
• Three key objectives for UAT.

This provides you with a firm basis for discussion with stakeholders and obtaining agreement from them in advance, rather than in a rush once UAT has started and issues come up.

Schedule UAT Effectively

You are given guidance in managing the schedule of events and activities of UAT. Specific suggestions are made for:

• Two types of UAT plan and how they connect to each other.
• Major testing tasks, their dependencies, and which stakeholders are responsible.
• Three important sub-processes for running the tests.

The framework of activities and events allows you to plot key dates and get agreement for when things need to be done.

Know When to Start UAT

A key issue is when to start running the UAT tests. Starting all of the UAT activities when the system has been delivered into UAT will not work as a number of decisions must be made before then. The template gives:

• Five key steps to prepare for testing.
• Nine Entry Criteria before accepting a system into UAT.

This information helps you to control how and when UAT will take place rather than being driven by events.

Make Informed Decisions about Accepting a System

A number of issues relate evaluating the results from UAT. The template assists these processes by outlining the:

• Six Exit Criteria to define when running UAT tests has been completed.
• Five point scale for classifying Incidents for evaluation.
• Four stage decision process for evaluating the results.
• Process for deciding Pass/ Fail criteria.

These tools allow you to make a balanced decision about accepting a system into service considering the benefits to the organisation versus the risks of doing so. It also provides and audit trail of project decisions taken and who took them.

Manage Unexpected Events

A number of events can affect The UAT process. As an example, the Go Live date is usually inflexible while the date the system is delivered into UAT seems always to be late. This common situation is a risk that can be anticipated. The template provides:

• Four types of unexpected events to be considered.
• The important element to be considered the pure Risk section.
• When to Suspend and Resume testing.
• A framework to discuss risk with stakeholders and agree in advance how it will be dealt with.

Knowing when and how to deal with project risks gives you an edge in achieving successful User Acceptance Testing of a system.

Estimate Required Resource

The resources needed for UAT need to be decided in advance of the system being delivered for testing. The resource sections in the template cover the:

• Four major stakeholders UAT responsibilities.
• Seven key areas to consider for the testing environment setup.
• Nine key test documentation deliverables.

These headings provide you with the framework to start considering what you need to include in your project to achieve a successful UAT conclusion.

Start Planning Now

You can be planning and discussing the issues to do with your UAT project within minutes as the template can be downloaded to your workstation. The document:

• Is in Microsoft Word 97-2003 format.
• Contains twenty three page of information in A4 format.
• Contains a clickable and updateable index to the various sections.
• Has clickable links to relevant website pages.
• Is available for download as soon as payment for it has cleared – normally a few minutes – via links in a download page and email.

To get an immediate start on planning your UAT click the "Buy Now" button to buy it for the February 2010 price of £4.99.

If you want some further information a FREE sample of the template can be downloaded here. If you need more information then a further sample can be obtained by registering your e-mail address here.