The Beta Plan:

• Ensures the project parameters, goals, milestones, activities, and participant demographics are well defined
• Outlines all internal resources (project members and teams) involved, as well as their responsibilities
• Is the basis of the report which will summarize the results and effectiveness of the beta project (more later)

Plan Definition:

• Construct an outline of the product itself, including information regarding it’s current state (alpha, beta, beta2, etc), high-level modules, etc.
• Target Market Definition –Detail the types of individuals this product will be sold to. This could include consumers, business IT departments, soccer moms, previous customers, and everything in between. Most products span multiple markets. Break down the types of users you plan to recruit into pools. Include the tester requirements (time, hardware, etc) in this definition
• Test Parameters –Outline the basic parameters unique to the project including number of beta testers and projected timeline.
• Test Goals (SUPER KEY)–List the unique goals of the project. Items such as general quality improvement, interface acceptance, product functionality in real-world environments, test support infrastructure, collect customer suggestions and testimonials. Include the areas (modules) of the product that will be tested.
• Incentives–Plan out the incentives that’ll be rewarded for participation, as well as the participation levels which they will be based on. (more later)
• Project Team Responsibilities –Define the responsibilities of everyone involved in the project. Define how feedback will be managed as it changes hands and progresses.

Initial Activities –

Plan out the initial activities which will be performed throughout this beta (activities will likely change in response to the project progression)

Recruiting Testers

Tester Management

Clearly Express Expectations Early on and Throughout

• Consistently Encourage Confidentiality (NDA, etc)
• Balance Gratitude with Expectations
• Keep Sites Involved with On-going Activities
• Keep Sites Current Regarding Project Progress
• Offer a Simple Consistent Method for Testers to Provide Feedback in the Forms you Want
• Allow Testers to Communicate Amongst Themselves (increases participation, secure outlet for excitement)
• Respond Quickly to all Issues and Requests
• Contact Inactive Testers Directly (by phone if possible)

Beta Activities

Common Beta Activities

•Bug Reports

•Specific Testing Tasks

•Forum Conversations (Open and Hosted)

•Surveys and Polls (Technical and Subjective)

•If Possible, Regression Between Builds

•Collect Feature Suggestions and Testimonials

Managing Feedback

Effective Data Management

•Use Your Tools Effectively

•Drive For Details

•Develop a Strategy to Handle Duplicates

•Quickly Respond to the Needs of the Test

•Ensure the Right People Get the Right Data

Closing a Beta Test

Keys to Closing a Beta Test

•Give Your Testers Time to Submit Final Issues

•Cut-off Tester Access to Submit Issues

•Close all Open Issues

•Offer Testers a Simple Means to Return Product

Incentives!

•Ensure Incentives Match Participation Requirements

•Include Multiple Levels of Incentives

•Award All Who Meet Those Levels

•Distribute Incentives Quickly

•If Possible, Thank Testers Individually

Beta Closure Report

Developing a Closure Report

•Develop an Executive Summary of the Project

•Document Issues Found (by Severity and Repetition)

•Document Requested Features

•Document Survey Results

•Document Top Testers & Incentives Rewarded

•Ensure All Departments Obtain Report

Common Beta Testing Mistakes

Developing a Closure Report

•Develop an Executive Summary of the Project

•Document Issues Found (by Severity and Repetition)

•Document Requested Features

•Document Survey Results

•Document Top Testers & Incentives Rewarded

•Ensure All Departments Obtain Report

Too Few or Too Many Beta Testers

•Poorly Motivated Testers

•Ineffective Communication or Bad Beta Testing Tools

•Poorly Managed Beta Testers and Test Data

•Badly Managed Incentives

Beta Testing Success

•Good Communication –Bidirectional communication with testers regarding timelines, requirements, and progress.

•Responsiveness–Make testers feel involved on a constant basis. Treat them as an integral part of your team.

•Effective Tools –Use the right tools to increase the efficiency of everyone involved (you, your team, participants).

•Organization–Beta tests produce an enormous amount of varied data.

•Effective Site Selection –The wrong testers can produce useless results.

•Proper Incentives –You don’t work for free and neither do your testers.

Adapted from www.centercode.com - https://www.centercode.com/docs/Centercode%20-%20Sucessful%20Beta%20Testing.pdf