As the last stage of testing, beta testing can involve in house testing or sending the product outside the company for more real-world exposure. Sometimes these tests are done by a limited public audience, as they often are for video games. The primary goal with a beta test is to have people outside of the development team use and evaluate the software application to catch any residual defects or comment on usability.

More formal beta testing, such as ones done with QA Mentor, involves a more structured approach. After a discovery phase, a thorough beta test plan would be created that covers the objectives, schedule, and strategy for feedback.

Professional testers offer more relevant feedback, which is why using a service like QA Mentor for beta testing will give you better results. Testers who don’t know what they’re doing can cause more harm than good. Feedback obtained by professionals is often triaged by making sure it’s clear, meaningful, and actionable. Efforts are made to ensure complete test coverage and that goals are met.

If done correctly, a beta test can give your company a large amount of valuable end-user and product information. QA Mentor’s Testing Execution On-Demand Service has a rotating team of quality assurance professionals who are ready to work on your project immediately.