The “If not, what happens?” Scenario

No matter how thorough the testing by the system suppliers, given the nature of the technology it is likely the new system will still encounter ‘unexpected’ problems.  For end-users, it is far better to identify and fix these problems during Acceptance Testing before the development team disbands, than to leave it until later when the time taken to rectify problems (say, under warranty) will be much longer.  The costs involved in rectifying problems at this stage may also be greater and outside the scope of the original budget.

The consequences of completely ignoring, or not giving enough consideration, to Acceptance Testing can range from minor inconvenience to total disaster when the system goes ‘live’.  To make things even worse, the external contractors responsible for supplying the system may have formally handed it over and finalised their contractual obligations.  Any modifications will cost more money!