ISTQB FOUNDATION 4.0 | Tutorial 17 | Test Levels | Acceptance Testing | Alpha Testing | Beta Testing

Summary

This tutorial delves into acceptance testing at the ISTQB Foundation level, focusing on its importance for validating product readiness from a business perspective. It distinguishes between user acceptance testing, operational acceptance testing, and regulatory acceptance testing, emphasizing their roles in ensuring product functionality and compliance with standards. The video explains the significance of Alpha and Beta testing, highlighting their objectives and environments, and stresses the value of real user feedback in refining product offerings before full deployment.

Takeaways

• 📚 The tutorial focuses on the ISTQB Foundation Level Certification, specifically Chapter 2 about testing throughout the SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle).
• 🔍 The segment 2.2.1 discusses test levels and types, particularly delving deeper into acceptance testing.
• 🛍️ Acceptance testing is dedicated to business users and is conducted to accept the product from the development company, ensuring it meets the requirements specified during the requirement gathering phase.
• 🛠️ The analogy of testing a product in a market before purchasing, such as an air conditioner or a microwave oven, highlights the importance of acceptance testing to ensure the product works as expected.
• 🏢 Technically, acceptance testing is the customer's responsibility to acknowledge the product, ensuring that all business requirements have been met and any deviations are addressed.
• 🎯 Acceptance testing aims to validate the system and demonstrate its readiness for deployment, confirming that it fulfills user business needs.
• 👥 Acceptance testing can be performed by the product owners initially and, if necessary, by the real users later, indicating that it's not mandatory for real users to conduct the entire testing process.
• 🔑 The main forms of acceptance testing include User Acceptance Testing (UAT), Operational Acceptance Testing, and Contractual and Regulatory Acceptance Testing.
• 📊 Acceptance testing covers not only base functionalities but also non-functional standards, regulatory compliance, and other aspects to ensure the product meets all expectations.
• 📈 Acceptance testing is conducted at two sublevels: Alpha Testing and Beta Testing, each with different objectives and conducted in different environments.
• 🔍 Alpha Testing is conducted in a pre-production environment by the customer to accept the product, while Beta Testing is conducted in the real environment by real users to collect feedback on the product's usability and functionality.
• 🕒 Beta Testing is a pre-release event that can last between 3 to 6 months, allowing for a thorough understanding of the product from the real users' perspective before it is released to the market.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of acceptance testing?

The main purpose of acceptance testing is to validate that the system fulfills the user's business needs and is ready for deployment, ensuring that all the requested requirements have been implemented correctly.

Who typically conducts acceptance testing?

Acceptance testing is primarily the responsibility of the customer or the business owners. It may initially be conducted by them and later, if required, real users may also be involved.

What are the different forms of acceptance testing mentioned in the script?

The different forms of acceptance testing mentioned are User Acceptance Testing, Operational Acceptance Testing, and Contractual and Regulatory Acceptance Testing.

What is the difference between Alpha Testing and Beta Testing?

Alpha Testing is conducted by the customer in a pre-production environment to accept the product, while Beta Testing is conducted in the real environment by real users to collect feedback on the product's usability and functionality.

Why is it important to conduct acceptance testing even for simple products like a light bulb?

It is important to conduct acceptance testing for even simple products to ensure they are working as expected before making a payment, as every product, regardless of its complexity, has value and should meet the buyer's expectations.

What is the significance of Beta Testing in the context of real user feedback?

Beta Testing is significant as it provides insights into the product's performance from the perspective of real users, allowing for the collection of feedback on usability aspects such as visual design, accessibility, and user experience.

How long is the typical duration for Beta Testing?

The typical duration for Beta Testing is between 3 to 6 months, which is considered sufficient to gather comprehensive feedback from real users.

What are some examples of products that might require professional testers to conduct Beta Testing?

Products that might require professional testers for Beta Testing include elevators, escalators, aeroplanes, and ATMs, where human life and money are involved and real users cannot be easily engaged in testing.

Why is it not necessary for all acceptance testing to be done by real users?

It is not necessary for all acceptance testing to be done by real users because the initial stages can be conducted by the product owners or customers to ensure the product meets the requirements, and real users can be involved later for specific feedback.

Can acceptance testing be limited to just checking the base functionalities of a product?

No, acceptance testing is not limited to checking the base functionalities. It also deals with non-functional aspects, standards, and regulatory requirements to ensure the product meets all expectations before being released to the market.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Introduction to Acceptance Testing

This paragraph introduces the concept of acceptance testing within the context of the ISTQB Foundation level certification. It discusses the purpose of acceptance testing, which is to ensure the product meets the business requirements and is ready for deployment. The tutorial explains that acceptance testing is the responsibility of the customer and is crucial for validating the product's functionality and readiness. It also distinguishes between different types of acceptance testing, including user acceptance testing, operational acceptance testing, and contractual and regulatory acceptance testing. The paragraph emphasizes the importance of this testing phase in the software development life cycle (SDLC).

05:01

🔍 Understanding Alpha and Beta Testing

The second paragraph delves deeper into the specifics of two sublevels of acceptance testing: Alpha and Beta testing. Alpha testing is conducted in a pre-production environment by the customer to determine if the product is ready for acceptance. The goal is to ensure that the product meets the business's expectations before it is released. On the other hand, Beta testing is performed in the real intended environment by the actual users to gather feedback on the product's usability, visual aspects, and overall user experience. This paragraph highlights the importance of Beta testing as a pre-release event, typically lasting between three to six months, to gain insights into the product's performance from the end-users' perspective. It also mentions exceptions where professionals may need to act as users for safety-critical products, and concludes with an invitation for further queries and comments.

Keywords

💡Acceptance Testing

Acceptance testing is a process where the business or end-users verify that the developed product meets their requirements and is ready for deployment. It is a crucial part of the software development life cycle (SDLC) and is the focus of the video's theme. In the script, acceptance testing is discussed in the context of ensuring the product is built as per the given specifications and is validated by the business before acceptance.

💡Business Users

Business users are the individuals who will use the final product in their daily operations and are the ultimate deciders of whether the product meets their needs. The script emphasizes the importance of acceptance testing being dedicated to these users, as they are the ones who will interact with the product and confirm its functionality and suitability for their business processes.

💡SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle)

SDLC refers to the process of creating software, which includes various stages such as requirement gathering, design, development, testing, and maintenance. The video script is part of a tutorial on ISTQB Foundation level certification, discussing testing throughout the SDLC, particularly focusing on acceptance testing as a key phase in this cycle.

💡User Acceptance Testing (UAT)

UAT is a type of acceptance testing where the system is tested from a user's perspective to ensure it meets the business requirements on a functional level. The script mentions UAT as one of the main forms of acceptance testing, highlighting its importance in confirming that the product functions as expected by the users.

💡Operational Acceptance Testing

This form of testing checks whether the system can be deployed, installed, and executed in the target environment. It goes beyond basic requirements to ensure end-to-end functionality. The script uses this term to illustrate the comprehensive nature of acceptance testing, which includes not just functional aspects but also the system's ability to operate effectively in real-world scenarios.

💡Contractual and Regulatory Acceptance Testing

This type of testing ensures that the product complies with contractual obligations and regulatory standards, which is essential for certain industries like automotive or electronics. The script points out that acceptance testing is not limited to functionality but also includes ensuring compliance with external requirements and regulations.

💡Alpha Testing

Alpha testing is the first sublevel of acceptance testing, where the product is tested by the customer in a pre-production environment to determine if it meets their requirements before final acceptance. The script describes alpha testing as a preliminary check conducted by the business to ensure the product is ready for further testing or deployment.

💡Beta Testing

Beta testing is the second sublevel of acceptance testing, where the product is tested in the real environment by real users to gather feedback on its usability and functionality. The script explains that beta testing is a pre-release event aimed at understanding user satisfaction and identifying any issues from a user's perspective before the product is officially released.

💡Product Deployment

Product deployment refers to the process of making the software or system available for use in its intended environment. The script discusses operational acceptance testing in the context of ensuring that the product can be successfully deployed and operates correctly within the target environment.

💡Feedback Collection

The process of gathering user opinions and suggestions about the product is essential for improvement and refinement. The script mentions feedback collection during beta testing as a way to understand the user experience and make necessary adjustments before the final release.

💡Regulatory Standards

Regulatory standards are the rules and requirements set by governing bodies that products must meet to be legally sold or used. The script uses the term in the context of contractual and regulatory acceptance testing, emphasizing the importance of adhering to these standards for products like automobiles or electronic devices.

Highlights

Introduction to the tutorial on ISTQB Foundation level certification, focusing on testing throughout the SDLC in Chapter 2.

Exploring test levels and types, specifically acceptance testing as part of Section 2.2.1.

Acceptance testing is dedicated to business users and conducted to accept the product from the development company based on given requirements.

Analogy of acceptance testing to testing products in the market before making a payment, emphasizing its importance.

Technically, it's the customer's responsibility to acknowledge the product by ensuring all requirements are met.

Acceptance testing focuses on validation and readiness for deployment, ensuring the system fulfills user business needs.

Ideally, acceptance testing should be performed by the intended user, but it can also be conducted by product owners initially.

Main forms of acceptance testing include User Acceptance Testing, Operational Acceptance Testing, and Contractual and Regulatory Acceptance Testing.

User Acceptance Testing is functional level testing to accept the product functionally.

Operational Acceptance Testing checks deployment in the target environment and end-to-end functionality.

Contractual and Regulatory Acceptance Testing ensures products meet regulatory standards before market release.

Acceptance testing is conducted at two sublevels: Alpha Testing and Beta Testing.

Alpha Testing is conducted by the customer in pre-production environments to accept the product.

Beta Testing is conducted in the real environment by real users to collect feedback on the product's suitability.

Beta Testing is a pre-release event, typically lasting 3 to 6 months, to gauge real user experience.

In cases where products involve wide audiences, Beta Testing can be particularly helpful for feedback.

For products difficult to share with real users, professionals may conduct Beta Testing to simulate real user experience.

Closing remarks encouraging continuous learning and exploration in the context of software testing.

Transcripts

Hello friends and greetings for the day

welcome back to another tutorial on

istqb Foundation level certification we

are in Chapter 2 talking about testing

throughout the sdlc and continuing ahead

with our same segment that is 2.2 test

levels and test types and as a part of

it we are still continuing with 2.2.1

And discussing in more detail of the

test levels as we have many test levels

we are talking about them one by one and

today we are picking up is acceptance

testing

[Music]

well when it comes to acceptance testing

certainly this particular level is

dedicated to the business users or the

business itself and certainly conducted

in a context of accepting the product

back from the development company as you

place the order during the requirement

Gathering Pace at the end the system is

handed over back to the business saying

that the product is built as for the

given requirements now it's a very

common practice that when you go and buy

some products outside even in the market

you do try to give it a testing round to

make sure that the product is working

fine and then you make the payment for

it simple if you go to buy an air

conditioner or maybe you know you any

other product like a microwave oven or

refrigerator they will just plug it on

and let me let me show you that okay

this is working fine or not or indeed

you ask them that can I just probably

check that if it is still working in

fact forget about the heavy equipments

you talking about even a simple bulb you

do go and ask them to check it before

you buy it because it's worth something

right as you make payment for a huge

thing which is being built here

certainly the amount is also being huge

and every single thing counts a lot and

that's where it is very important to

conduct the acceptance testing well that

was very logical thing but technically

speaking it's responsibility of the

customer to acknowledge the product and

in order to acknowledge the product the

requirement should be met no matter a

development company can claim anything

that we have met all your required

expectations but the business

expectations sometime may not be

understood and that's where the

deviations May observed and that's where

a person like customer will also conduct

a round of testing to make sure that all

the requested requirements have been

really implemented or there were few

which were missed out or maybe Mis

implemented and that should be corrected

at this point of time so when we talk

about acceptance testing it basically

focuses on validation and on

demonstrating the Readiness for

deployment which means that the system

fulfills the user business needs ideally

acceptance testing should be performed

by the intended user but again not being

very very technically meaning that it's

not necessary that acceptance testing

should be completely done by the real

users but initially it will be conducted

in by the de uh the owners of the

product like customer and later if

required we may ask the real users also

to conduct the same so it's it's not

really mandatory that the whole

acceptance testing should be done by the

real users okay that's not true so when

it comes to acceptance testing certainly

the main forms of acceptance testing

include user acceptance testing which is

our functional level testing to accept

the product functionally then second is

of course operational acceptance testing

which is more of like can it be deployed

in an environment and can be executed

installed or not so the deployment part

and working in the Target environments

is basically checked at the operation

and the functional transactions not only

the basic requirements but whether a

person can actually do end to end

transaction more of like a end to-end

functionality can be done or not and

that is what we measure as a part of

operational acceptance and third that's

not always true that a product needs

functionality alone sometime we do have

contractual and Regulatory acceptance

testing also being performed here

because some of your products may go

through the regulations and we must must

be fulfilling that also for example if

you're talking about embeded systems

your cell phones the laptops or even

automotives like automobiles car bikes

two wheelers so they all have to go

through a regulatory standard check and

that's where the regulations are also

supposed to be measured here because if

in case that is a failure then the

product will not go into the market at

all right because that would be not

meeting the desire expectations so put

together acceptance testing is just not

limited to the base functionalities but

deals with everything else including

functional nonfunctional standards

regulatories and whatnot also to add

here the acceptance testing is conducted

in two different Su levels now sublevels

basically we talk about Alpha Testing

and beta testing where Alpha Testing is

different than beta testing so initially

the Journey Begins With Alpha Testing

where the application is tested by the

customer who plac the order and the

objective is to accept the product if

everything is working that means to give

a sign off to the business or the

development organization from the

business right so Alpha Testing is

conducted in the pre-pro environments

itself that means it's not a real world

testing that means whatever environment

we have used to test the system the same

place will be used for Alpha Testing by

the customer and the objective is to

accept the product by the business right

but on the other hand if I talk about

beta testing beta testing is conducted

in the real environment that means the

target intended environment and

conducted by the real users and the

objective is to collect the feedback

from the real users here the objective

is not to understand or test the

functionalities here we want to listen

back from the real users that what do

you think whether this product is really

good for you or not and moreover things

like textual visibility color

accessibility and all can be seen from

the real user point of view for example

you can talk about the color of the

background and the text are matching so

I cannot see the text now that's not

functionality but some of the visuals

which can come from the real user

sometime the font could be very small

and may not be readable for some of the

users then I would have to take care of

that right so I want to really feel the

real user shoes before I go and roll it

out yes it's very important to remember

beta testing is not a post-release event

it is a pre-release event and it is

generally for the duration of 3 months

to 6 months of time and that's actually

enough to get to know the pulse check of

the real users so depending on the size

of the application the duration will

vary between 3 months to 6 months of

time and this is very very useful to

conduct beta testing but sometime the

products are very difficult to be shared

with the real user for example we can't

ask real users to test an elevator

escalator aeroplanes or some things like

ATM which is automated terer machine so

where human money and life is involved

we ask the professionals to behave like

real users

and then conduct beta testing it's not

really necessary that beta testing

should be conducted blindly for all the

products but if you think this involves

a very wide range of audience then beta

testing would be very very helpful just

like how it helps Microsoft to know

before releasing that Windows Vista will

be a failure Windows 8 will be a failure

right so you can deep dive into that if

you need to know more you can always get

in touch with me so that's all from this

particular tutorial team should you have

anything else feel free to comment below

I'm always there to address your queries

and answer them well till then keep

learning keep exploring keep

understanding the context thanks for

watching the video team and happy

[Music]

learning