The BMW Analogy : Why must there be a UAT?
An interesting conversation sparked up today when I was together with my users assisting them for UAT.
UAT. User Acceptance Test. It's a norm that is inserted in all software development lifecycles. It's a part of software development. To us in Info Tech, UAT is something we don’t really give a second thought to. We learnt it in our schools, we've seen our seniors prepare for it when we started our careers, we've heard our colleagues talk about it. There is nothing special about it - to us it has become a process that must be followed.
Ever stopped to ask why? Why should there be a UAT?
Well, this is the very question, these interesting users asked about.
Why must there be a UAT?
It's the first time I've heard that question!
Now the users who have been conducting UAT for my projects - be it for any company, are generally IT educated. UAT is a norm that they have been following in their companies. It's a part of software development in their companies. UAT is something we dont really give a second thought to. They've learnt it in their schools, they've seen their seniors prepare for it when they started their careers, they've heard their colleagues talk about it. There is nothing special about it - to them it has been a process that must be followed. The company says so... (See the trend?)
But this user was asking us today - Why must there be a UAT?
And the interesting analogy (considering that the company I am working for is one of the best solution developer companies in the world) that he gave was this:
User : If I buy a customized car from BMW, does the salesperson tell me "Thanks for the tons of money you paid for this car. Now drive this car around, and if the steering wheel comes off while you are driving, do come back to us and we will fix it for ya - for free!"
Me : Errrmm.... (Thinking : Is this a rhetorical question? Or do you want me to answer it?)
Hey, hey, hey, hold your horses... I know being in IT, you can rebut the BMW analogy with a million bullets, so can I...
But I took a step back and thought from the BMW point of view, can we make solutions that do not require UATs? Solutions that users can buy just like they buy products?
Just a thought...