Follow the syntax For a program to work, you have to follow the syntax, the rules of a programming language that specify how words and symbols are put together. Test the program Perform desk-checking. Desk-checking is simply reading through, or checking, the program to make sure that it is free of errors and that the logic works. Debug the program to debug means to detect, locate, and remove all errors in a computer program. Errors maybe syntax, which are caused by typographical errors and incorrect use of the program language.
Logic errors are incorrect use of control structures.
After the first two steps the program may run fine, in the lab. However, it then needs to be tested with real data, called beta testing. It is mandatory to test with bad data, data that is faulty, incomplete or in overwhelming quantities, to see if the system will crash. This is the owner's manual that comes with the programs you buy. Prepare operator documentation Information that tells operators what to do when the program malfunctions.