Acceptance testing (IT)

IT acceptance testing (recette informatique) is the operation by which a provider’s customer checks that the software or system delivered complies with the agreed specifications, then accepts it, with or without reservations. It is the key moment in the performance of a software development agreement or integration agreement. Acceptance generally triggers payment of the balance, transfer of risk, the starting point of the warranty and, often, the assignment of rights in the developments.

How acceptance testing proceeds

First, the acceptance test plan defines the test scenarios, the data sets and the acceptance criteria, consistently with the specifications. Next, provisional acceptance, or fitness check, records that the deliverable works in a test environment. Then final acceptance, or regular service check, records proper functioning in real conditions over an agreed period. Finally, the acceptance report records the results, the defects found and their classification, and is signed by both parties. Blocking defects prevent acceptance, minor defects are the subject of reservations to be lifted within a set time.

Legal effects and implied acceptance

Acceptance without reservation covers apparent defects: the customer can no longer complain of them, except for hidden defects or non-compliance with the specifications that could not be detected. A refusal of acceptance must be justified by real non-conformities, failing which the customer incurs liability. In the absence of a report, the courts may find implied acceptance where the customer uses the deliverable in production without complaint for a significant period, or where it pays the balance. The contract should therefore expressly provide the conditions of implied acceptance or exclude it. The texts of general contract law can be consulted on Légifrance.

Key points

In practice, acceptance testing is the main source of disputes in IT projects: deliverables never accepted, reservations never lifted, go-live without formal acceptance. A written acceptance procedure, objective criteria and systematic reports protect both parties. In agile projects, acceptance is continuous and relies on the acceptance criteria of each iteration. The firm acts in these disputes and drafts the corresponding clauses, as presented on the page contracts.