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# Acceptance Testing

Beta sites selected for acceptance testing must comply with or exceed your beta site qualifications. Organizing, preparing and implementing a beta site program requires dedicated effort on the part of the QA project leader and the beta sites. Send the application specification, final-round media and user’s guide to the beta sites. Provide some lead time for the beta sites to review the application specifications and the user’s guide before you contact them to confirm installation.

Contact each beta site representative to confirm installation and obtain a begin date for application performance testing. It may be helpful to instruct your beta sites on testing procedures in writing or during an on-site training visit. It may be equally beneficial to let the beta site use the application independent of training. There are several ways of conducting acceptance testing at beta sites, but it is important to keep in touch regularly with the beta site representative, writing down comments, problems or other information. Continue to conduct beta site review for 60 days. Acceptance testing involves a product rollout plan that takes the product through stages. Every major product release is involved in this process. Each stage moves the product closer to general release.

Rollout Stages:

- Alpha Testing
  Alpha testing begins when there is about one month of programming left. Its purpose is to gain enough feedback and constructive criticism about the product design, the user interface, and the maintenance and reporting aspects of the product to continue the development effort without major design changes. Then address changes, complete coding and move to beta testing. Software Development manages this process.
  Participants in the process are internal development teams and six members of our VAR channel. The VARs receive installable media and product specifications to review.
- Beta Testing
  Beta testing begins when all application functions are completely coded. Product specifications are frozen and design is set. Work on such noncritical functions as help, sample data, GENERAL Report Writer data, data dictionaries. Global Inquiry, and EIS functions begins during this stage. The purpose of beta testing is to completely test all functions, options and circumstances necessary to locate bugs, and to verify that they are addressed before moving to live testing.
  Participants are the internal QA team and external beta sites (equal numbers of VARs and end users). A good mix of users is necessary to ensure a variety of testing scenarios. Beta sites receive the software on a CD-ROM.
  Each participant in the program must attend a teletraining session. VARs involved in the program must have access to the Open Systems web site to receive updates and notices for themselves and their user beta sites throughout the process. External sites complete an evaluators’ guide by a deadline. The sites receive updated software and user’s guides as needed.
- Live Testing
  Live Testing begins when all known software issues have been addressed. Its purpose is to gain a perspective of the condition of the software by using it in a live environment with daily audits and checks. Sites convert their real data and complete a checklist of a full cycle process, from file maintenance to daily work, through the completion of a month end.
  Participants include beta VARs who run their businesses on OSAS, and beta users current on the Maintenance Program.
- Controlled Release
  Controlled Release takes place when feedback from the live test confirms the expanded use of software. Its purpose is to get a larger user base but in a controlled environment. Ship orders to users who require new features for implementation. Control the distribution of needed corrections to a manageable group of users.
  Participants are external: Executive and Partner VARs who are current on the Maintenance Program, several users who are current Maintenance Program subscribers, and several new installations receive the release. The participants must be informed that they are a part of a controlled release of the product.
- General Release
  When General Release takes place, backorders are filled, and software is shipped to users and dealers who are current on the Maintenance Program.