Good thought Amit.
In my recent project, as a Test Manager I have gone a level further to dilute the borders between SIT and UAT. I implemented "Joint testing", here we formed a virtual team comprising of SIT + UAT + Business resources. The team was lead by SIT Test Manager and Test Architect.
This team came up with a common test plan, test cases and executes them.
Benefits:
- Faster time to market the product, as we save time in planning, prepare and execution test phases.
- Helps to uncover business perspective type issues early in the game.
- $$$$ savings for the business
Cons:
- At times, we spent more time in reporting defects and keeping UAT/Business managers informed of everything.
- Tricky to keep all resources on same page.
For more details on my experience with Joint Testing, you can write to me on [email protected].