FAT and SAT for SCADA and PLC Projects
A practical Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) and Site Acceptance Test (SAT) playbook for SCADA and PLC upgrades, cutovers, and multi-site rollouts.
FAT and SAT for SCADA and PLC projects should be treated as engineered deliverables, not a last-minute checkbox. A good test plan proves your control narratives, alarms, communications, and operator screens before a live cutover.
We structure acceptance testing around real operating scenarios: power-fail recovery, comms loss, permissives and interlocks, manual override workflows, and alarm escalation so operators and maintenance teams can trust the system on day one.
For multi-site systems, we also standardize test cases and results templates so every pump station, well site, or remote panel is commissioned consistently and defects are tracked to closure.
Key focus areas
- Scenario-based test cases mapped to control narratives
- Alarm and HMI verification aligned with operator workflows
- Repeatable commissioning process for multi-site rollouts
Implementation checklist
- Define FAT/SAT scope and pass-fail criteria before development is complete
- Include comms-loss and power-fail recovery scenarios in every site test
- Capture redlines and as-built updates as part of SAT closeout
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