Building a Culture of Quality Through Acceptance Testing

The Value of Quality Culture

All industries have set standards that a project should reach to compete. And, unfortunately, that has become the goal for many businesses – to be ‘good enough’ to enter the rivalry. But even when you implement unique functionalities for your users, there is no guarantee this will put you at the top.

The subjectivity of experiences ultimately dilutes the particularities of a product and turns it into ‘just another option.’ For instance, Shopify has quite a few features Amazon does not possess, e.g., customization or a range of tools. But it does not render the former a better variant. It is a version tailored to different needs.

In a world oversaturated with alternatives, quality becomes an implicit feature that makes customers fall in love with your product. That is the reason we consider handmade items better. Because we think at once that the product was created by the meticulous touch of a person who spent their personal time and effort.

In the digital universe, this ‘handmade feel’ can be achieved by creating a software product with care. And this is where quality culture comes in.

Understanding Quality Culture & Its Benefits

Quality culture is a mindset that embeds quality into every aspect of a business. So, instead of associating quality with the end product a team produces, it is about people and their actions. When a person truly cares about an idea, they put more effort into their work on every front. This thoughtfulness results in outstanding outcomes.

To build quality-based culture, businesses need to create an environment that promotes confidence, communication, and collaboration.

• Confidence in knowing that what you do matters. Teams need to understand how their work scope impacts the product on a large scale. They will be able to adapt their efforts to best serve product purposes.
• Communication between all agents bound by a common mission. Each team member is crucial to the end goal, they would not be there otherwise. Communication that includes each participant generates new perspectives, encourages expertise sharing, and opens new improvement vectors.
• Collaboration that fosters trust and active engagement. A working space that prioritizes teams’ comfort allows to better leverage the talents involved in the project.

While designing and implementing a company culture is no easy task, the benefits it offers outrank any difficulties:

• Better personnel engagement and retention. Quality culture allows you to transform the ‘employees’ into dedicated team members that value what they do.
• Advanced team performance. There is simply no denying that satisfied individuals who recognize the worth of their labor augment their efforts (you can actually observe a 202% increase in performance).
• Refined product quality. People are the foundation of any company. And when they do their work with care, the result cannot be anything but a truly great product.
• Increased customer satisfaction. Having quality as the center point of your product is visible. Consumers are quick to distinguish an app that is a nimble collage of in-demand features from software made with them in mind. Quality culture secures superior CX.
• Enhanced customer loyalty. When you prioritize quality, customers are bound to have positive experiences with your product. Hence, they are more likely to return for repeat business and extend recommendations.
• Improved reputation and brand image. When you focus on creating a culture of quality, it sends a clear message to the consumers that their satisfaction is of utmost importance. Such perception is essential for long-term success in today’s competitive market.

When designing a quality culture, there are no lists or standards to follow. Just remember the three Cs of quality culture and build upon them. You will be able to establish a healthy working ecosystem where quality is not the finish line but the start.

What Is Acceptance Testing?

Let’s start with some basic theory before we move to our central topic and start explaining the role of acceptance testing in quality culture. So what is an acceptance test? If you look up the definition in the ISTQB Glossary, you’ll find the following explanation, “A test level that focuses on determining whether to accept the system.”

Essentially, acceptance testing determines a project’s readiness by evaluating whether it complies with the initial expectations. We say ‘designed user expectations’ as you cannot fully know what a user might expect from your product. But you can predict the overall demands based on what the software is meant to do and create a set of requirements.

Something to note is that the meaning of ‘user’ is not limited to a single category. Say, for a B2B e-commerce platform, acceptance testing would not focus just on those placing an order. Instead, it would cover everyone relying on the software. So, here, it would involve customers, admins, third-party managers, stakeholders, etc., as users of the product.

As an illustration, for a courier app, acceptance testing would mean checking the system’s ability to handle high volumes of deliveries, integrate with the company’s existing fleet management system, and provide real-time tracking and delivery updates. Also, it would investigate how the app performs from the business perspective. In a nutshell, acceptance testing is multifaceted and quite extensive.

Types of Acceptance Tests

To further elaborate on the vastness of acceptance testing, it is important to point out that it covers user expectations on various layers. There are several classifications of acceptance testing. Experts distinguish acceptance (identical to the umbrella term), user acceptance, business, contract, regulation, and operational acceptance testing. In this article, we’ll focus only on the first two types.

Acceptance Testing

It validates a product’s functionality against acceptance criteria. The latter are derived from project documentation and define what constitutes a feature as ‘acceptable.’ From our latest example, acceptance criteria could be ‘the app can handle 10,000 simultaneous users for ten hours with no freezes/downtime.’ If the project satisfies this requirement, this function is deemed acceptable and completed.

User Acceptance Testing

It determines whether the product works correctly from a user’s perspective. UAT testing services focuse on real-world scenarios that actual consumers might use. By assuming the end-user POV, QA engineers focus on successful task completion without diving into the processes behind each feature.

For instance, for the login scenario, there is a lot to check: system reaction to in/valid data, pop-up messages, UI, etc. But for the actual user, the only point of concern is whether they can log in or not. So, because UAT prioritizes the user, it pushes out the whats and hows of each procedure and looks at the final outcome of a particular action.

Modes of Acceptance Testing

There are two approaches typically used for acceptance testing that, when combined, bring tiered value.

Alpha Testing

It checks the software for possible issues before the product is subjected to external testing and deployment. Usually, in-house dev teams perform alpha testing, as they are well-versed in the software’s particularities. Alpha testing is typically done in a controlled environment, and the focus is on ensuring that the software meets the functional and performance requirements specified in the product design.

Beta Testing

It evaluates whether the software meets the needs of consumers and can handle different use cases and scenarios. Users who are not a part of the development team run Beta testing, which allows for a fresh feel of the product. This is where QA outsourcing is beneficial. As external QA specialists are readily available and have enough experience to simulate a real-world environment.

So, while Alpha testing centers on locating and mending errors, Beta testing capitalizes on feedback derived from genuine user actions to advance the product.

The Role of Acceptance Testing in Building a Quality Culture

Acceptance testing is viewed as the final check before the product goes live. And from the STLC side, it is indeed carried out once the software sets the course for deployment. However, in the context of quality culture, acceptance testing plays a significant role in the improvement strategy.

Acceptance testing can be perceived as a quality standard in itself. Because acceptance criteria are developed as part of project documentation, essentially, you set quality norms for your product from the start. Further, because this testing is performed last, it forms a series of quality guidelines that software needs to meet in order to undergo acceptance testing.

And when you make acceptance testing, which is user-oriented, one of the testing goals, you allow your team to focus on the results for consumers from the start.

How QA Helps Build Quality Culture via Acceptance Testing

In most cases, engaging QA expertise early is the optimal way to exponentially improve your product. With the help of QA specialists, running tests that take place before acceptance testing ensures that there are minimal issues in last-mile assessments. And when it comes to acceptance testing itself, cooperation with a QA company brings the following advantages:

• Product evaluation by QA engineers not directly involved in project development offers an objective perspective and new improvement pathways.
• Real-life testing in a (closely simulated) production environment that is well understood by QA specialists leads to user-oriented testing and a closer look at business particularities.
• Early defect identification with experienced QA professionals allows to efficiently prevent critical bugs from appearing in production.
• Full-coverage acceptance testing, and it calls for extensive QA expertise, ensures that all requirements are met, which secures (and can further enhance) product quality.
• Finding and fixing defects pre-release lets you save time and money spent on post-release overhauls. Also, you can adjust a QA team’s pace and capacity to fit your needs.
• Ultimately, exhaustive acceptance testing results in advanced user satisfaction, which enables building strong customer relationships, customer trust, and loyalty.

In short, partnering up with a QA provider permits you to rely on their expertise to focus on user satisfaction as well as business goals.

Risks That Come with Not Using Acceptance Testing Advantages

Contrastingly, not leveraging the benefits of acceptance testing may lead to considerable business risks.

• Skipping or not properly carrying out acceptance testing will inevitably result in poor product quality (as the final product is presented with possible major issues).
• In turn, software that does not deliver expected quality causes a loss of user trust.
• Fixing software errors post-release increases support and maintenance expenses.
• Essentially, all of the above combined can deal heavy brand damage.
• You may even face legal issues if the product causes harm to users, e.g., from the perspective of security, local regulations, etc.
• And ultimately, your team will be demotivated and may even be scared to continue working on the project due to initial negative experience regarding the result.

Case in point, even big companies suffer the consequences of not taking advantage of thorough acceptance testing. In 2016, Dropbox was hacked, and millions of user accounts were compromised. Following the incident, Dropbox implemented a number of security measures, including increased acceptance testing of its service.

In 2019, Amazon experienced a major outage on its Prime Day event, causing many customers to miss out on deals and experience frustration. After which, the e-commerce giant pledged to improve its acceptance testing processes to prevent similar outages in the future.

Investing in powerful acceptance testing, even after serious troubles, allowed these organizations to advance their operations and rebuild customer trust. So, it is evidently better to think ahead and rely on acceptance testing before any issues occur.

Best Practices for Building Quality Culture Through Acceptance Testing

Your quality strategy should be fitted to your project. And while personalization is often key, consider these universally beneficial practices to effectively combine acceptance testing and quality culture.

Collaboration with Stakeholders to Establish Acceptance Criteria & Requirements

Acceptance testing is about prioritizing the user. Hence, initial cooperation with everyone who will benefit from the end result allows to better define project goals and quality measurements. You can conduct surveys with potential consumers, carry out in-depth meetings with management, and benefit from the dev team’s technical insights.

Regular Reviews & Evaluations of Acceptance Testing Processes & Outcomes

You should investigate acceptance testing processes to allow the project’s quality to evolve with the customer and business needs. Creating a sound system designed to measure the success of the initial and upgraded acceptance testing procedures would not only help with establishing SMART project goals, but also pinpoint areas of focus even before you think of working on them.

Incorporation of Feedback from Real Users into Acceptance Testing

In terms of meeting and exceeding user expectations, there is nothing better than asking them directly. Instead of predictions and market trends, you obtain authentic feedback from those who will be relying on your product. This lets the dev teams refine acceptance testing and, thus, the product.

Encouragement of a Culture of Continuous Improvement

Today, a stale product is a forgotten product. As your users grow and change, so should your project. While creating a quality output is the goal, it is not the end. Motivate your teams to innovate and think outside the box, listen to specialists and use their insights – let everyone know that perfection does not exist. There is only improvement, and things can only get better.

To Sum Up

So now that you know for sure what acceptance tests are, it is clear why adding them to your pre-release itinerary permits you to refine the perceived use of your product. When you focus on user experience from the beginning, you can uncover hidden possibilities for your project. The software can be an engineering wonder, but ultimately, its users decide whether it is actually good. And that is what quality culture via acceptance testing is about – profound care for people who work on and benefit from the result.