Comments on: On Acceptance Testing… http://www.licensinghandbook.com/2009/09/10/on-acceptance-testing/ The companion site to the Software Licensing Handbook Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:13:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Clayton Berry http://www.licensinghandbook.com/2009/09/10/on-acceptance-testing/comment-page-1/#comment-1001 Clayton Berry Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:31:25 +0000 http://www.licensinghandbook.com/?p=1172#comment-1001 This is a great analogy. To briefly shed further thoughts on what to do, think of the process in reverse: ask them to show you exactly what they will be doing before you sign on, and, how you will be measuring it NOW and AFTER they do "whatever". Measurement is quite fun because often a service provider will offer something but not actually have a way of measuring what they did. To add my own recent oil change story....I went to a nice place, got oil changed. As part of the service, they always suggest things that might need to be done. This is usually based on cars mileage and is just a suggestion. When he got to the timing belt, he actually said they checked it and it was bad. ... Read More Knowing this was a big problem, I asked for confirmation of this. Then he came back with "no, just based on mileage." This may not sound like much, but I had just had that belt replaced by someone else and so naturally I wanted to make sure their work and parts were top quality. This goes to how do you continue to monitor service that may affect you long term, and how to do establish real relationships where service is ongoing? This is not easy, yet many managers in companies simply look for the low cost, 1-time option and go with it. Which is usually a mistake, that haunts them later, but by then either they've moved on or no one realizes this really could have been avoided. This is a great analogy. To briefly shed further thoughts on what to do, think of the process in reverse: ask them to show you exactly what they will be doing before you sign on, and, how you will be measuring it NOW and AFTER they do “whatever”. Measurement is quite fun because often a service provider will offer something but not actually have a way of measuring what they did.

To add my own recent oil change story….I went to a nice place, got oil changed. As part of the service, they always suggest things that might need to be done. This is usually based on cars mileage and is just a suggestion. When he got to the timing belt, he actually said they checked it and it was bad. … Read More

Knowing this was a big problem, I asked for confirmation of this. Then he came back with “no, just based on mileage.” This may not sound like much, but I had just had that belt replaced by someone else and so naturally I wanted to make sure their work and parts were top quality.

This goes to how do you continue to monitor service that may affect you long term, and how to do establish real relationships where service is ongoing? This is not easy, yet many managers in companies simply look for the low cost, 1-time option and go with it. Which is usually a mistake, that haunts them later, but by then either they’ve moved on or no one realizes this really could have been avoided.

]]> By: Jeff http://www.licensinghandbook.com/2009/09/10/on-acceptance-testing/comment-page-1/#comment-1000 Jeff Thu, 10 Sep 2009 18:30:26 +0000 http://www.licensinghandbook.com/?p=1172#comment-1000 Thanks for the comments, Jeff! I hadn't really thought about the "feelings" part, but you're absolutely right. It didn't feel good to have to say something... not just that I "had" to, but I actually didn't WANT to - as if it was MY fault that the service was not 100% correct. Thanks for the comments, Jeff!

I hadn’t really thought about the “feelings” part, but you’re absolutely right. It didn’t feel good to have to say something… not just that I “had” to, but I actually didn’t WANT to – as if it was MY fault that the service was not 100% correct.

]]> By: Jeff Dix http://www.licensinghandbook.com/2009/09/10/on-acceptance-testing/comment-page-1/#comment-999 Jeff Dix Thu, 10 Sep 2009 17:35:59 +0000 http://www.licensinghandbook.com/?p=1172#comment-999 Great points. Clients or customers have to overcome the awkward feeling of checking the vendor's work. People almost always feel strange when they do this kind of acceptance testing. I like the metaphor here. Great points. Clients or customers have to overcome the awkward feeling of checking the vendor’s work. People almost always feel strange when they do this kind of acceptance testing. I like the metaphor here.

]]>