Understanding the impact of end-user characteristics in user acceptance testing success

Abstract

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) softwares are increasingly being used by businesses to streamline their operations. One of the leading ERP platforms is SAP and is used worldwide. Usage of softwares, be it a simple music player or an ERP software, requires updates and migrations. While the end-user only gets the final products in case of openware or commercial off the shelf software, ERP involves the end-user in the testing phase of the software development lifecycle. The outcome of such tests determines the future performance of the technical solutions and so is incredibly important. However the success of the user acceptance test itself depends on some factors. This paper seeks to understand the impact of certain end-user characteristics on the success of system testing. The user characteristics of age, experience, management position and educational levels are tested for their effects on the level of motivation and participation in system testing. Based on the results the paper draws a conclusion on the employee characteristics that need to be considered to ensure user acceptance testing success.