Along with Alpha and Beta testing, there is one more phase of testing which is usually not performed in most projects. Yes, you guessed it right. It is Gamma Testing Phase..!!
The Gamma Test phase is considered the Trend of the past. This mainly focuses on Security checks and Performance checks of the product along with its usability. This testing has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Product in this phase is generally called a Release Candidate or Gamma or Delta, and this is the activity that is done just before the Production launch. The product is almost frozen (99%) and even if there are any suggestions/feedback in this phase there is no scope for enhancements.
This article explains the meaning, time, advantages, and disadvantages of Gamma Testing precisely.
What You Will Learn:
What is Gamma Testing?
This is the final phase of testing and is performed when the product is ready for release with specific requirements. Not all the in-house testing activities which are decided to go through this testing phase are performed on the product.
This phase does not allow the product to undergo many changes, other than critical bug fixes that have to be carried out.
This testing is carried out to ensure that the product is on the safer side with regards to product quality, Usability, Security, and Performance prior to Production Release.
When to perform this test?
Gamma Testing is usually carried out after Beta Testing of the product. As this is considered to be the final phase of testing we need to make sure that the product is ready to be released to the market with all the specified requirements fulfilled.
How is it Performed?
As already mentioned, Gamma Testing is performed directly by skipping in-house testing activities, testers are not considered the participants in this phase. Very limited end users are identified for performing this testing.
The product is released to the open market with the Gamma version and only limited specifications are requested to be tested from the entire product in this phase.
Reviews and feedback are effectively collected from the participants and are evaluated accordingly to assess the quality. Any review or feedback related to improvising the product is considered as updates for the product in the upcoming releases.
Advantages
There are several advantages of performing the Gamma Test.
They are:
- Helps to assess the quality of the product in terms of usability, security, and performance.
- No scope for enhancements unless the critical bug has to be fixed. So, no chances of new bugs being introduced.
- As this testing skips all the in-house testing activities, it saves a lot of time and testing efforts.
- Assurance gained on the product by meeting all the specified requirements.
- Since it involves limited end users, it is easy to track the progress.
- Reviews and feedback can be collected more effectively.
Disadvantages
Though there are several advantages to this type of testing, there are certain disadvantages too.
They are:
- Cannot be adopted when there are tight deadlines, increased pressure, and shorter development cycles.
- Cannot be controlled as end-users are the participants.
- No Guarantee of completion of testing, as its the end user’s choice to continue or drop the testing.
Conclusion
Gamma Testing helps to gain confidence in the product and thereby enables a smooth transition to the market. I hope this article would have enhanced your knowledge and given you a brief overview of what exactly Gamma Testing is.
Let us know your thoughts/suggestions in the comments section below.