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
Plan Definition:
- Construct an outline of the product itself, including information regarding it’s current state (alpha, beta, beta2, etc), high-level modules, etc.
- Beta Target Market Definition –Detail the types of individuals this product will be used by.
- PEcAn
- CZO communities
- DataONE
- value for the ecological community - specifically allowing for data to be downloaded in a variety of different forms directly from DataONE
- Research Data Services,
- beginning with our own University of Illinois RDS
- Test Parameters –Outline the basic parameters unique to the project including number of beta testers and projected timeline.
- Include the tester requirements (time, hardware, etc) in this definition
- Windows or Mac what about Linux?
- looking at a ... 2 hour window?
- What is space requirement
- What is RAM/Processor requirement
- Test Goals (SUPER KEY)–List the unique goals of the project.
- Items such as general quality improvement - testing for user experience with initial set of tools
- Interface acceptance - API works in desired browser
- Product functionality in real-world environments
- Test support infrastructure - this will be after release
- Collect customer suggestions and testimonials - testimonials is essential for expanding user acceptance and for use in newsletters
- Include the areas (modules) of the product that will be tested
- Incentives–Plan out the incentives that will be rewarded for participation, as well as the participation levels which they will be based on.
- Will we offer incentives?
- 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
- BD Team
- ISDA Team
- Any SSA Team Members?
- Students
- Current Collaborator / Students
Tester Management
Clearly Express Expectations Early on and Throughout
- Do we have anything that will need Confidentiality (NDA, etc)?
- Balance Gratitude with Expectations - Thank you for testing but make sure to meet deadlines for reporting
- Keep Exec Committee Involved with On-going Activities
- Keep Exec Committee Current Regarding Project Progress
- Offer a Simple Consistent Method for Testers to Provide Feedback in the Forms we want
- Allow Testers to Communicate Among 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 - Google Spreadsheet for bug tracking (above)
- Specific Testing Tasks - create a set of testing matrixes for usability and break testing
- Forum Conversations (Open and Hosted) - Hip Chat room specifically for testing
- Surveys and Polls (Technical and Subjective) - Set up Google Survey for post testing
- Do we have a way to run regression testing between builds - we seem to keep making changes and then breaking things that worked previously
- Collect Feature Suggestions and Testimonials - this is important for newsletters going forward
Managing Feedback
Effective Data Management
- Use Your Tools Effectively -
- have spreadsheet tracker and matrixes reviewed
- ask for other ideas
- Drive For Details
- are we capturing enough detail?
- Develop a Strategy to Handle Duplicates
- do we need more details in the spreadsheet so we can sort for duplicates?
- Quickly Respond to the Needs of the Test
- Ensure the Right People Get the Right Data
- make sure workflow gets issues from tester, to PM, to JIRA, to resolution without getting dropped in a crack
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
- can the link to a Google Spreadsheet be changed? If I change the name will it change the shared link?
- Close all Open Issues - don't leave a bug behind
- Offer Testers a Simple Means to Return Product
- This is an interesting thought! - do we have a way once people are finished testing Brown Dog that it can be cleaned from their machine? an "Uninstall Script"
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