Case Study: Consultancy

Key Achievements

• Expert consultant-led review and analysis of the full QA and test function.
• 2 day onsite consultancy workshops.
• Observation Analysis Report.
• New Test Case Management System implemented saving the business £2,500 per year.
• Onsite training workshop and guidance for improvement.

The Challenge

System1 Group are one of the world’s most innovative brand strategy and research agencies. Challenging traditional research paradigms, they have pioneered the application of Behavioural Science to improve the predictive power of market research and helped clients do famous and commercially successful marketing.

In 2016, System1 Group engaged Zoonou as a strategic test partner to help the company to review and improve the management, leadership and methodology of its QA function for the development of their internal software products.

While System1 Group was flourishing, they recognised a need to improve how testing and QA was organised as part of their full software development lifecycle. The test process that had been implemented some time ago had not adapted with their changing team size and shift towards an Agile development methodology. Increased pressure was being placed on internal resource to cover all aspects of the test function.

Our Solution

Zoonou set about to conduct a full review and analysis of the testing and QA function across the System1 Group business, covering all aspects of testing, from strategy, planning and management, through to execution and reporting.

Expert Consultancy workshop sessions were coordinated and hosted at the System1 Group offices in Sussex. Working with key members of the System1 Group management team, Zoonou’s consultant utilised these sessions to gain a full understanding of the current status of the software development process, and how testing was currently implemented.

The review allowed Zoonou to build a picture of the existing QA mechanism, and the results of the session were drawn together in a Zoonou Observation Analysis Report, with an evaluation on what should be maintained and what could be improved moving forward to put in place a more efficient test process in line with the new team size and structure.

Out the back of the consultation sessions, Zoonou were able to make a number of immediate suggestions for refining the test process. Zoonou recommended discontinuing use of a legacy test case management tool that now had limited use within the business, but was still costing the company £2,500 per year.

Furthermore, Zoonou suggested techniques to streamline the existing approach to keep expenses to a minimum by reducing duplication of effort between the test case management tool and the team’s project management platform. Zoonou recognised a need to improve the type of testing that was being executed by combining exploratory non-scripted testing with a new refined set of manual test scripts. Exploratory testing would initially focus on key end-to-end user journeys, edge cases and out-of-the box thinking, while manual test scripts provide coverage of all features and functionality and establish a baseline test set for the new System1 Group software product.

For the project management tool, Zoonou recommended adjustments to the management of User Stories to improve clarity of ownership and responsibility for each work item, and to save time through reducing the duplication of effort between the project management and test case management tools.

As a major modification, Zoonou endorsed the implementation a new simple cloud based test case management system for the management of manual test cases, replacing the expensive legacy platform.

With Zoonou’s first hand experience, we were able to identify a solution that is much easier to use, manage and maintain.

The Results

System1 Group immediately recognised and welcomed the benefit of Zoonou’s consultation, and it provided a much needed opportunity to take a step back and receive valuable and actionable advice on their testing approach, methodology and tools.

The changes made have proved truly beneficial, helping to refine and improve the test process across the business, and System1 Group continue to move System1 Group forwards with the strategy that Zoonou helped to formulate and implement.

1. Consultancy Workshops: 2 day onsite Consultancy Workshops to analyse the test process, approach and use of tools.
2. Observation Analysis Report: Generation of a detailed document out the back of the consultation sessions providing valuable insight and recommendations for QA and testing within the framework of the full development lifecycle across the business.
3. Test Case Management System: Introduction and implementation of a new simple to use cloud based Test Case Management System, replacing the legacy tool and saving the business £2,500 in licensing costs per year.
4. Test Script Templates: Provision of test script templates to be used for all internal System1 Group systems, including inbuilt and customisable metrics and statistics for test runs.
5. Test Case Management Guidelines: Detailed user guide for continued ease of use and consistency of the test case management system.
6. Data Archive: Export and backup of historical data from archived test case management tool.
7. Onsite training session: Coordination and hosting of a workshop session with the System1 Group management team to provide an overview and guidance on the new tools and changes implemented. This included information on best practice for generating test suites in the new test case management system and recommended action for the future.

For more information on System1 Group, please see system1group.com.