In the early phases of a technology project a software developer will require reasonable access to the business team. Some may find these meetings inconvenient but they are critical to the success of the project as they will help to identify any assumptions or gaps that may be present in the business requirements.
User testing is an essential activity.
Once the project has moved from the requirements gathering phase to the development phase requests for meetings with the subject matter experts will become less frequent. Until it’s time to perform the User Acceptance Testing (UAT).
Some teams may find UAT more troublesome than others as it has the potential to disrupt workflows and jeopardize service levels. For those teams we have devised a five point plan to maximise their participation in UAT with minimal impact on their day-to-day performance.
1. Automate
In some circumstances, where specialist knowledge or expertise is not required it may be possible to use a test automation tool. When considering automation be sure to perform a thorough evaluation of all of the available tools in order to choose the one that most closely matches your requirements.
2. Limit the scope of change
Try to adopt an iterative approach to testing where only a small subset of features are evaluated during each iteration. The aim is to create a predictable flow of bite-size features that can be tested in isolation and scheduled alongside the team’s day-to-day activities.
3. Be proactive
Keep the project risk register updated with the impact that UAT is having on your team’s targets and performance. Try to get other stakeholders to support your preferred testing strategy at the project’s inception. Doing so will ensure that your UAT requirements are recognised and formally acknowledged in the project plan. As an added benefit this approach will make it more difficult for others to make political gains from any difficulties your team has as a result of supporting the UAT effort.
4. Advertise your team’s capacity
The technology team may not be aware of your particular circumstances so be sure to tell them. Again it’s important to ensure that any concerns you have regarding UAT are recorded in the project documentation. This will force the project team to focus on your UAT resourcing concerns early enough to reschedule it if required.
5. Stay in the loop
Make the time to read any relevant project emails, to monitor the project’s intranet site and to catch-up with the project manager. You will be surprised at the number of problems that you are able catch by being in the loop.
Contact us if you would like our help with system testing or any other aspect of a technology related project.