# Planning and running user acceptance testing

*Business Analyst Study Guide · Development Support and User Acceptance · Last updated October 15, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/business-analyst/development-support-and-user-acceptance/planning-and-running-user-acceptance-testing*

How the BA plans UAT (testers, scripts, schedule, sandbox and test data, defect process, sign-off), runs it (triaging defects, enhancements and usability issues, retesting, reporting progress), and gives decision makers the facts for a go/no-go call backed by written sign-off.

- Certification: Salesforce Business Analyst
- Exam section: Development Support and User Acceptance
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/business-analyst

**Official exam objective:**

> Support and validate user acceptance testing (UAT) to ensure the solution meets the requirements.

## What the exam expects

- Explain what UAT is and when it happens: end-user testing in a sandbox, after the technology team's testing, as the last stage before go-live.
- Plan UAT: real end users and subject matter experts as testers, scripts traced to acceptance criteria, schedule and status cadence, defect process, a sandbox with representative data, and sign-off.
- Run UAT: record results, triage each finding as a defect, an enhancement or a usability issue, retest fixes with regression checks, and escalate coverage gaps.
- Support the go/no-go decision with facts and obtain written sign-off, keeping the record as auditable evidence.

Key terms:
- **UAT:** testing by end users for approval before production release.
- **Test script:** a scenario broken into steps whose outcome is pass or fail.
- **Defect:** delivered behaviour that fails an agreed acceptance criterion.
- **Go/no-go:** the release decision made from UAT results and business readiness.
- **Sign-off:** the business stakeholders' written, official acceptance.

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | End-user testing in a sandbox or test environment | [Learn About UAT](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/user-acceptance-testing-video/learn-about-user-acceptance-testing) |
| Timing | Last stage before go-live, after the technology team's testing | [Learn About UAT](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/user-acceptance-testing-video/learn-about-user-acceptance-testing) |
| Testers | End users and subject matter experts | [Learn About UAT](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/user-acceptance-testing-video/learn-about-user-acceptance-testing) |
| Sign-off | Written, official business sign-off before go-live | [Learn About UAT](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/user-acceptance-testing-video/learn-about-user-acceptance-testing) |
| Partial Copy sandbox | Metadata plus a template-defined sample of production data; for UAT | [Sandbox Types](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.create_test_instance.htm&type=5) |
| Full sandbox | Replica of production, all data | [Sandbox Types](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.create_test_instance.htm&type=5) |
| Developer sandbox | Configuration only; create your own test data | [Test New Features](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/advanced-salesforce-release-readiness-strategies/test-new-features-before-a-release) |
| Test priority | High-value and high-usage processes first | [Test New Features](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/advanced-salesforce-release-readiness-strategies/test-new-features-before-a-release) |
| Cost of bugs | Fixing in test costs significantly less than in production | [Test New Features](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/advanced-salesforce-release-readiness-strategies/test-new-features-before-a-release) |

## Check yourself

- When does UAT happen in the delivery sequence?
- Why must UAT testers be end users or subject matter experts?
- Which sandbox type does Salesforce name for QA tasks such as UAT and includes a sample of production data?
- Why is a defect found late in UAT still a good outcome?
- What must the BA obtain before deployment?

## Sources

- [Learn About User Acceptance Testing](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/user-acceptance-testing-video/learn-about-user-acceptance-testing)
- [Explore User Acceptance](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/salesforce-business-analyst-certification-prep/explore-user-acceptance)
- [Test New Features Before a Release](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/advanced-salesforce-release-readiness-strategies/test-new-features-before-a-release)
- [Sandbox Types and Templates](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=platform.create_test_instance.htm&type=5)
- [Construct a User Story](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/user-story-creation/construct-a-user-story)
- [Explore Documentation Types](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/business-analyst_skills-strategies/learn-documentation-types-importance-documentation)
- [Learn the Elements of the Scrum Workflow](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/scrum-and-kanban-at-salesforce/learn-the-elements-of-the-scrum-workflow)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 19 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Business Analyst pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams