Overview
Commonly referred to as OAT, Operational Acceptance Testing is the testing done before the solution is released or deployed, just after the execution of user acceptance testing (UAT). The OAT environment is called the ‘pilot’ or ‘pre-prod’ environment. This environment tests the system’s operational readiness, much like the user acceptance testing environment. OAT tests involve verification of procedures, such as performance, stress, volume, support processes, security, backup, and the existence of alerts. Typically, OAT occurs after user acceptance testing (UAT) and is a final verification before a system is released. OAT tests typically employ real users accessing and using the system in a live state. A typical operational acceptance test plan should focus on the recoverability, integrity, reliability, robustness, data integrity, manageability, and supportability of a software or network installation.