Comments on: 6 Tips to Keep Writing UAT Scripts Fun

By: Michelle Swoboda

Michelle Swoboda — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 00:15:31 +0000

Curtis, the crazy names are the best part! We use all sorts of names like a company named Edward Bites, Drew Breez etc. Thank you for mentioning it in your comments. If it makes the next person laugh when they are reading it then it is worth it.
You asked for more details on the structure of the scripts. We use excel with columns relating the steps back to the BRD, we then have more columns for the role of the person who performs the task, a description of how to do the task and then the outcome. We have been working with master groupings as our scripts are over 1,000 lines. This week I have been formatting them to go into QC where we will perform the tests.

By: Curtis Michelson

Curtis Michelson — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 16:37:33 +0000

Michelle, thanks for this piece. UAT comes in many flavors and approaches. Can you share a little more about your company’s particular process? For example, as you sit down with the product owners, do you have a template you’re writing into, are these test scripts getting structured in any particular way, to be fed into a Fit-like system of some kind?

And I’ll add one more item to keep it fun. Make a crazy names for characters in your stories. My only fun as a database application developer was during the testing phase, and I would need to generate some test data. I’d pull in celebrity names, serial killers, rock stars, whatever. Test data, boring as it is to enter, can be REALLY fun to enter, if you just use it as a surrogate creative writing experience. 😉

By: Michelle Swoboda

Michelle Swoboda — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:36:55 +0000

Hi Eve, thank you for sharing how your business works. My previous company operated much like yours so when I started the process with this company I was pleasantly surprised. I would guess it is up to the company and how much they want the business owners to take responsibility for the systems.

By: Eve McGivern

Eve McGivern — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:40:15 +0000

The Business Analysts where I work write UAT scripts based on the business and functional requirements; they tend not to consult with the business when developer UAT scripts until it comes time to review the plan via a review, and then we ask for signoff on the UAT plan from the business.

Is it like this in other organizations, or are we unique? How do you justify not getting the stakeholders involved during the UAT script writing process? Is there any benefit to this approach?

By: Michelle Swoboda

Michelle Swoboda — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 03:11:55 +0000

Thank you Yamo for your comments! Script writing is certainly creating a lot of learning with our team right now. It is a chance to talk over new processes and negotiate work arounds when the systems don’t work quite like you thought they would. Sounds like you have done this before!