A Tier 1 investment bank was seeking to improve its testing processes and was keen to implement Brickendon’s specialised approaches. The bank engaged Brickendon to implement the bespoke approaches and to train its own staff to use the Brickendon processes efficiently and effectively. The result was the reduction of a three-week testing cycle to six hours and a 95 per cent reduction in testing cost-per-release.
The Challenges
The bank was rolling out an eFX platform to 28 countries using local testing teams. The core delivery team of more than 140 Business Managers, Project Managers, Business Analysts and Developers was having difficulty engaging with the local testing teams. As a result, several problems were encountered, including:
- Drawn-out testing processes. The bank had a three-week testing cycle per location
- Low-quality testing with multiple release failures per country
- Lack of accountability – no one individual or team within the organisation was taking responsibility for the process
- Lack of continuity and consistency across the different sections and areas of the business, including regional discrepancies
- No blue-print for testing practices in the business
- Large numbers of people involved in each process, increasing the risk of human error
The Brickendon Solution
Brickendon provided a team of four test managers to deliver four bespoke Brickendon testing solutions:
- BEAPS: This is an innovative Agile Test Execution solution designed to handle complex test planning/execution issues when the delivery teams are spread across multiple geographical locations and have different delivery cycles.
- TestOps (customised to project environment): This allows the testing team to take full control of the whole process from end-to-end: requirements, through development, testing and into production. It is no longer the responsibility of several different teams, who hand over the process at different stages. The testing team is fully accountable for everything that happens in the process and the end result is much more efficient and effective.
- SATS: Brickendon’s Simplified Automation Testing Tool efficiently tests complex product workflows. SATS feeds different types of data into data capture systems and reconciles it with various reconciliation points in the workflow such as the data base, interface systems and middle- and back-office systems.
Once these solutions had been introduced into the organisation, Brickendon trained the core delivery team and the global testing teams to use the solutions themselves.
Client Benefits
- A reduction in the test cycle. Within one month, Brickendon reduced the test cycle from 15 days per location to five. Further down the line, the cycle was reduced to less than six hours.
- Elimination of production release rollbacks.
- Significant reduction in cost. Brickendon delivered a 95 per cent reduction in testing cost-per-release with high quality testing.
- Peace of mind that the whole process has been sufficiently and succinctly tested, with accountability falling to one team.
- A massive decline in production issues – saving the bank’s reputation and business.
- Robust testing process which ensures high quality testing.
