Alpha
Testing
is
a
type
of
software
testing
performed
to
identify
bugs
before
releasing
the
software
product
to
the
real
users
or
public.
It
is
a
type
of
acceptance
testing.
The
main
objective
of
alpha
testing
is
to
refine
the
software
product
by
finding
and
fixing
the
bugs
that
were
not
discovered
through
previous
tests.
This testing
is
referred
to as an
alpha
testing
only
because
it is
done
early
on, near
the end
of the
development
of the
software,
and
before
Beta
Testing.
Check Differences
between
Alpha
testing
and
Beta
testing
Alpha testing
is
typically
performed
by
in-house
software
engineers
or QA
staff.
It is
the
final
testing
stage
before
the
software
is
released
into the
real
world.
Who is
involved
in Alpha
testing?
Alpha testing
has two
phases,
The first
phase
of
testing
is
done
by
in-house
developers.
They
either
use
hardware-assisted
debuggers
or
debugger
software.
The
aim
to
catch
bugs
quickly.
Usually
while
alpha
testing,
a
tester
will
come
across
to
plenty
of
bugs,
crashes,
missing
features,
and
docs.
While
the
second
phase
of
alpha
testing
is
done
by
software
QA
staff,
for
additional
testing
in
an
environment.
It
involves
both
black
box
and
White
Box
Testing.
So, alpha
testing
can be
envisioned
as an
online
application
that is
not
completely
ready
for the
usage
but has
been
opened
up to
get some
initial
feedback.
Alpha
Testing
Process
Example
Usually, an
alpha
testing
takes
place in
the test
lab
environment
on a
separate
system.
In this
technique,
project
manager
teams up
with the
developer
to
define
specific
goals
for
alpha
testing,
and to
integrate
the
results
into
evolving
project
plans.
As such alpha
testing
is done
on a
prototype,
in-depth
reliability
testing,
installation
testing,
and
documentation
testing
can be
ignored.
A good alpha
test
must
have a
well-defined
Test
Plan
with
comprehensive
test
cases.
Various
activities
involved
in alpha
testing
are
logging
defects,
fixing
defects,
retesting,
several
iterations,
etc.
Although
Alpha
testing
is not
completely
functional,
QA team
must
ensure
that
whatever
is on
hand
should
be
thoroughly
tested,
especially
those
which
has to
be sent
to the
customer.
For best
practice,
the QA
team
should
gather
early
all
additional
information
like
usability
feedback
on an
alpha
stage
storage
code,
look and
feel of
the
software,
navigation
scheme,
etc.
Also, e-mail
to the
customer
citing
all the
details
about
the test
is
recommended
to make
the
customer
aware of
the
current
condition
of the
software.
How
to
do
Alpha
Testing
To do
Alpha
Testing
efficiently
for
software
testing,
we
need
to
first
review
the
design
specification
and
functional
requirements,
then
develop
a
comprehensive
test
plan
and
test
cases,
after
that
execute
the
test
plan
in
order
to
find
log
defects
and
fix
those
defects
and
finally
retest
once
the
issues
are
solved
for
smooth
functioning
of
software.
Advantage of
Alpha
testing
Better
insight
about
the
software's
reliability
at
its
early
stages
Free up
your
team
for
other
projects
Reduce
delivery
time
to
market
Early
feedback
helps
to
improve
software
quality
Summary
In Software
Engineering,
Alpha
testing
is
an
early
version
of
a
software
product
The objective
of
Alpha
testing
is
to
involve
customer
deep
into
the
process
of
development
A good
Alpha
test
must
have
a
well-defined
test
plan
with
comprehensive
test
cases
It gives
better
insight
about
the
software's
reliability
at
its
early
stages
