Is testing checking software? Is testing accepting software? Or is testing exploring? Testing is all of this! But there are two kinds of approaches to testing. One is by mostly checking and one is mostly by exploring. But accepting is done in both of these approaches. Accepting is a must!

In regard to checking and exploring is accepting an uncharted area in software testing. Testers always think software is accepted after testing is finished, but unfortunately it is not always like people think. First is to ask what is accepting. When we look at the dictionary one of the explanations is: “to receive (something offered), especially with gladness or approval”.  This is different from cheking and exploring, as said earlier, when checking a product is simple (from a testers point of view). With checking you check that all requirements and criteria are met. That is the requirements and criteria that are documented.

Now how do we accept this? First of all, testers cannot accept software. Testers can only give an advise on release or shipment of the product, but they cannot accept . But users can accept, users must accept. They have to accept the software if it is the solution to their problem. Similarly, the client is legally required to accept the product, within a certain period. Otherwise they will lose the right get the product modified or replaced.

Accepting requires that you agree with the product you get delivered. The user acknowledges that he, as the accepting party, that the product he asked for is produced and the product works as requested. Here comes to mind the statement ‘fit fur use’. An application can be fit for use with the extent the application is useful for the organisation. Thus acceptance is reached during the user acceptance test (UAT) and production acceptance test (PAT), where service management can be seen as the users. User acceptance testing is a process to obtain confirmation on the system under test (SuT) by the user through trial or review that the product meets the expectations.

Most of the time the UAT acts as a final verification of the system, emulating real-world usage conditions. If the software works as intended and without issues during normal use, one can reasonably expect that the same level of stability can be reached in production. The results of these tests give confidence to the user as to how the system will perform in production.

–Addition: Is a test manager only the most responsible person for this test? Or should it be shared with someone else? One thing is for sure a good (test) manager must use his expectations management skills to good use!

Acceptance is important. This is what the users will get in production. Make sure it is done good!