Identifying gaps in QA maturity and optimizing skills, processes and software investments
Commissioned by the Group CIO of a popular and internationally adopted health rewards system, IT Ecology embarked on a project aimed at improving the delivery and testing framework.
We conducted an initial assessment of Quality Assurance using our custom-developed and role-specific online questionnaires. The online assessment covered areas including Requirements Management, Test Planning, Test Case Development, Environment Preparation, Test Execution, Results Analysis, Test Reporting as well as Defect Management for both functional as well as non-functional aspects of testing. These were assessed in the context of the Agile DevOps development style and hence the inputs from Production into testing (Feedback loop) were also assessed.
The initial online assessment was extended to an onsite engagement to deep-dive into the identified gaps.
This onsite assessment revealed more clearly the depth of the identified gaps and the causes; the result of which culminated in feedback that provided clear direction on what the gaps were and recommendations on how to close these.
IT Ecology was then asked to come alongside the organization and their offshore testing partner to help implement many of the recommendations made. These were prioritized and to date IT Ecology have assisted in aligning processes and documentation such as test strategy and individual test approaches (Mobile / API / Web and Performance testing), creating user guides, and informal training to ensure adoption of the changes.
Throughout the journey, IT Ecology have been deeply involved with implementing integrations and enhancements in tooling currently used by the organization so as to maximize the value derived from existing investments and support the initiatives of maturing testing and creating visibility of the state of QA.
The most significant achievements to date include a revised defect management process, a new approach to test data management and the concept of shifting performance testing left. These are currently being implemented, with items such as executive dashboarding and end-to-end requirements traceability following suite.
