The Software Development Life Cycle - Software Testing: Testing Across the Entire Software Development Life Cycle - page 56

and system sponsors is required before the development team can proceed to the
installation stage. In the event that all of the functional or performance criteria are
not satisfi ed, the project sponsors can demand that the system be revised or modifi ed
so as to meet the standards. This rejection will require that the project revert back
to previous stages.
2.9.8 Train Participants and Users
Users are typically the business managers and staff who will provide the system
inputs and use the system outputs to complete daily business activities. Participants
are those persons who work within the system but do not use its output for business.
Logically, you want to provide training as close to the cutover date as possible so that
the information will be fresh on the minds of the recipients as they put it into use.
However, planning for training development and delivery must begin earlier, perhaps
as early as the beginning of the project.
At this point, the developers are satisfi ed that the system accomplishes its objec-
tives. The remaining step is to obtain approval from the system users and project
sponsors that the system is acceptable. With that approval in the next stage, the
system can be put into operational use.
2.10 THE INSTALLATION STAGE
During this stage the system components are installed, cut over to the new system is
accomplished, and a postimplementation evaluation is conducted.
2.10.1 Install System Components
The unit testing and system testing in earlier stages focused on the software and
data components. The user acceptance test should encompass all of the components:
hardware, information, personnel, and physical facility along with the tested and
verifi ed software and data.
2.10.2 Cutover to the New System
With user approval, the system is put into use. Cutover can be immediate (for small-
scale systems), phased (for larger scale systems), or parallel (where the old system is
continued as the new system is gradually phased in).
2.10.3 Conduct the Postimplementation Evaluation
Some time after cutover and after the system has had time to settle down, an evalu-
ation is made to determine whether the new system did, in fact, meet the functional