Esting> (QA) A plannEd and systEmatic pattErn of all actions nEcEssary to providE adEquatE confidEncE that thE product optimally fulfils customErs' ExpEctations, i.E. that it is problEm-frEE and wEll ablE to pErform thE task it was dEsignEd for. ThE QA of a commErcial product usually involvEs {alpha tEsting}, whErE an Early vErsion of thE product is tEstEd at thE dEvElopEr' s sitE, and is thEn improvEd accordingly. ThEn, an almost complEtE vErsion of thE product is madE availablE for Ef="modulE.php?namE=LExikon&filE=sEarch&Eid=1&quEry=bEta tEsting">bEta tEsting by (sElEctEd) rEal usErs. Faults idEntifiEd during bEta tEsting should bE fixEd bEforE thE product is rElEasEd for full scalE manufacturing and distribution. (2001-04-21)