Explainer
UAT stands for user acceptance testing: the stage where the people who will use a system confirm it lets them do their jobs before it goes live. Here is how it works, who does it and how to run it well.
By Christopher Fagan, Managing Partner, PEF Consulting Partners
UAT stands for user acceptance testing. It is the final stage of testing before a new system or major change goes live, and it is carried out by business users rather than developers or the supplier. The question it answers is simple: can the business run its real processes on this system?
| Stage | Who runs it | The question it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Unit testing | Developers | Does each component work? |
| System testing | Supplier | Does the system work as designed? |
| System integration testing (SIT) | Supplier with the client | Do the systems and interfaces work together? |
| User acceptance testing (UAT) | Business users | Can we do our jobs on it? |
| Operational acceptance | IT operations | Can we support and run it? |
On ERP and billing platform programmes, UAT should run complete cycles, such as order to cash, procure to pay, a month end and a full billing run, using migrated data. That is how reconciliation problems surface before cutover rather than in the first month after it. Our test plan and UAT template sets this out.
Sign off should come from the process owners for each area and then the sponsor, against exit criteria agreed in advance. A conditional sign off with agreed workarounds for minor defects is normal; signing off with critical defects still open is not.
Related reading: the test plan and UAT template, what hypercare is, the ERP implementation plan guide, the RAID log template.
User acceptance testing: business users testing a new system against their real processes to confirm it is fit to go live.
The people who will use the system, led by the process owners, with support from the project team and supplier. It should not be done by the supplier on the business’s behalf.
On an ERP or billing programme, usually two to six weeks, depending on scope and how many full cycles need testing. Plan time for at least one retest cycle.
Quality assurance and system testing check that the software works as specified. UAT checks that it works for the business, which can fail even when every specification has been met.
If UAT is about to start and the entry criteria are not met, saying so now is much cheaper than finding out at go live.