<p>My team throws around “alpha” and “beta” for our testing stages, but everyone means something slightly different by them, and it causes real confusion about what we’re supposed to be testing for at each point. I want to pin the distinction down before we formalize the release process.</p>
<p>My rough understanding is that alpha testing is internal, before the software goes out, and beta testing puts a near-final build in front of real users. But the boundary feels fuzzy in practice. Is it defined by the environment, the audience, how finished the build is, or something else entirely?</p>
<p>This breakdown of alpha vs beta testing helped me frame it, but I’d rather hear how people apply it on real projects.</p>
<p>How does your team decide a build is ready to move from alpha to beta? And do you change what you’re actually testing for between the two stages, or just who’s doing the testing?</p>