A Manager's Guide to User Acceptance Testing: Its Role and Importance to Business

For most businesses and organisations, if IT stops, the business stops. Whenever a company turns on a new production line, opens a new retail store, launches a new product or provides a new service, there is invariably a new or modified IT system behind it. A Problem-free IT system is the "Acid test" of significant, often crucial investment. Whilst the technical testing of IT systems is a highly professional and exhaustive process, testing of business functionality is an entirely different proposition. Does the system deliver the business functions that are required - does it cope with exceptions? This paper explores the rationale behind User Acceptance Testing (UAT), why it is so important, and how best to go about it.