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Acceptance Testing as a Contractual Milestone

publish date: 2026/06/19 10:34:33.412444 UTC

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Acceptance testing is described as implying that final payment should be made. Why is this an important aspect of the acceptance testing process for custom software?

It prevents customers from requesting any changes after acceptance

It links the business financial transaction to the technical verification that the system does what was specified, making both parties accountable

It motivates the development team to deliver high-quality software

It ensures that acceptance testing is always conducted by independent third parties

Correct Answer

It links the business financial transaction to the technical verification that the system does what was specified, making both parties accountable

Explanation

Linking final payment to acceptance testing makes acceptance a formal business milestone, not just a technical exercise. It makes both parties accountable: the developer must deliver a system that passes the agreed tests, and the customer must agree to pay when those tests are passed. This creates a clear, contractually-enforceable definition of 'done' for custom software development.

Reference

Software Engineering, Ian Sommerville, 10th edition

Quizzes you can take where this question appears

Acceptance Testing Process