QW2002 Paper 6P2

Mr. Ralph Dalebout
(IBM Corporation)

Beta Testing -- Boot Camp Basics and Beyond

Key Points

Presentation Abstract

Today's competitive world demands rapid product development and deployment of new products. While the time-to-market window is shrinking, the sheer number and complexities of product and solution tests are increasing. Beta test environments encompassing complex, high-availability, worldwide networked environments are very often required to test end-to-end hardware and software solutions.

The key to successful beta testing is adapting to new challenges. The shrinking "time-to-market" schedules dictate shorter development and test cycles. There are increased product complexities with extensive hardware and software interdependencies. It is increasingly difficult to mirror the "real world" customer environments within internal test labs. Beta testing can be a very time and cost effective means of augmenting and complementing "core" testing programs.

The IBM Printing Systems Division (PSD) has implemented a comprehensive beta test program and has achieved a high level of success over a number of years. An eighteen step process has evolved, which covers beta test procedures from product inception to product introduction and release.

About the Author

Ralph Dalebout is a Beta Test Project Manager in the IBM Printing Systems Division's Development Test and Support group. He manages hardware and software Beta Tests with customers inside and outside IBM. Ralph's career with IBM spans 30 plus years. He has held a number of different positions in marketing (IBM Systems Engineer and Account Representative), product development (Product Planner), competitive analysis / market research and product test.

Ralph has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Utah and a MBA degree from the University of Washington.