Beta Testing

Definition

Beta testing is the launch testing of the application in the production environment by a few select users prior to acceptance testing and the release of the application to its entire user community.

Objectives

The typical objectives of beta testing are to:

• Cause failures that only tend to occur during actual usage by the user community rather than during formal testing.
• Report these failures to the development teams so that the associated defects can be fixed.
• Obtain additional user community feedback beyond that received during usability testing.
• Help determine the extent to which the system is ready for:
  • Acceptance testing.
  • Launch.
• Provide input to the defect trend analysis effort.

Preconditions

Beta test execution can typically begin when the following preconditions hold:

• The application has passed all system tests.
• The delivery phase has begun.
• The application has passed alpha testing.
• The production environment is ready.
• The application has been ported to the production environment.
• The selected group of users is ready.

Completion Criteria

Beta testing is typically complete when:

• The time period scheduled for beta testing ends.
• The users have reported any failures observed to the development organization.
• These failures have been passed on to the development teams.

Tasks

Beta testing typically involves the following producers performing the following testing tasks:

• Independent Test Team:
  • Test Planning Update beta testing subsection of Project Test Plan (PTP).
• Customer Organization:
  • Test Implementation Select beta test user group.
  • Test Reporting Pass on reported failures to developer organization.
• User Organizations:
  • Test Execution Use application under normal conditions of operation.
  • Test Reporting Report failures to customer organization.

Environments

Beta testing is typically performed on the following environments (limited to a select group of users) using the following tools:

• Production Environments:
  • Client Environment
  • Contact Center Environment
  • Content Management Environment
  • Data Center Environment
• Tools:
  • Defect reporting tool.

Phases

Beta testing typically involves the following tasks being performed during the following phases:

Guidelines

• Limit the user test group to users who are willing to use a lower quality version of the application in exchange for obtaining it early and having input into its iteration.
• Beta testing is critical if formal usability testing was not performed during system testing.
• Beta testing often uses actual live data rather than data created for testing purposes.