How Appsierra Group helped a Pharma & Healthcare Fortune 1000 Company to detect Bugs and Errors!
About Client
A provider of health information exchange (HIE) solutions to caregivers (including hospitals, pharmacies, assisted living, and home care systems) and patients worldwide, catering to Fortune 1000 enterprises.
The Challenges
The Customer was in the process of developing a web and a mobile application dedicated to health information exchange. This platform facilitates seamless coordination of care services among caregivers such as hospitals, pharmacies, assisted living facilities, home care systems, and patients on a global scale. The application serves as a bridge for caregivers to access patients' medical information, engage in patient and provider communication, and collaborate with other care providers.
Adhering to the Scrum methodology, the development of both the web and mobile applications was underway. This approach required concurrent testing to ensure that functionality was rigorously assessed alongside development. Additionally, the Customer sought to validate that both the web and mobile applications facilitated swift and reliable data exchange among users.
The endeavor presented several key challenges:
- Minimizing the occurrence of defects reaching User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and audits.
- Establishing a testing methodology tailored to the unique needs of the project.
- Addressing the escalating testing costs and the detection of defects during later stages of testing.
- Overcoming the deficiency of comprehensive quality testing in the final implementation phase.
The Solution
Appsierra initiated the engagement by conducting a comprehensive gap analysis of the existing testing frameworks. This involved interviews and an in-depth analysis of testing artifacts. The complexity of transitioning was fully grasped, and a meticulous study of the release plan was undertaken. To establish a cohesive test service operating model, Appsierra tailored a high-level ERP program testing methodology to align with the V model, harmonizing with the ASAP methodology. This critical phase necessitates the validation and verification of development activities before progressing to subsequent stages.
At the onset of each iteration, our team meticulously examined the requirements for the application's new functionalities. This comprehensive analysis was then translated into over 7000 detailed checklists. Following the deployment of new functionality to the test environment, our test engineers executed a battery of tests to ensure that the application's diverse user flows functioned as intended.
Any identified defects were meticulously documented in Jira, with the Customer prioritizing their resolution. Lower-priority issues were moved to the backlog for future attention. Integration testing was undertaken to assess the data flow among the components of both the web and mobile applications, as well as within the application's database. This process involved the use of Postman, a tool designed for integration testing, alongside a custom tool for validating HL7 interfaces. The team generated Continuity of Care Documents (CCD) and Admission, Discharge, Transfer (ADT) messages, rigorously verifying their proper transmission to the shared application database and their accurate display on the web and mobile app interfaces.
With the resolution of defects identified in functional and integration testing, our test engineers proceeded to conduct regression testing on the updated web and mobile application builds. Upon successful regression testing, the features destined for deployment in the production environment were enumerated in the release scope list on Confluence. The final test report, encompassing details about uncovered and resolved defects, was presented to the Customer.
Upon the release of the new software build, our test engineers performed smoke tests on the production environment, affirming the stability of the deployed build.
Solution Overview
The proposed solution encompassed a holistic 360-degree testing approach, encompassing functional, UI, cross-platform, and cross-device testing. Automation was seamlessly integrated into the QA process to effectively manage the testing workload.
Business Benefits
Through the collaboration with Appsierra, the Customer achieved significant outcomes, marked by the successful release of new application builds. Notably, in the aftermath of these rollouts, a commendable achievement was the absence of critical defects surfacing in the production environment on a monthly basis.
This remarkable progress was attained by implementing structured requirements analysis, coupled with meticulous traceability to test cases. Furthermore, our adoption of the RBT (Requirements-Based Testing) methodology contributed to a reduction in post-production defects. Automation played a pivotal role in this success, with regression test cycles becoming notably streamlined.
Leveraging our expertise in process enhancement, we facilitated the establishment of comprehensive metrics collection and reporting mechanisms. This heightened transparency positively impacted the perception of IT and its testing services.
Key benefits stemming from this collaboration include:
- A flexible commercial approach, ensuring program delivery remains within budgetary constraints.
- A scalable team structure supported by effective governance mechanisms.
- A noteworthy 20% reduction in cycle time.
- The successful implementation of risk-based testing, contributing to a remarkable 21% reduction in overall test effort.
- Acceleration of the client's time-to-market due to the decreased cycle time.
- The reduction in test efforts ushered in a shift-left testing approach, leading to a tangible decrease in defects.
Conclusion
Through the implementation of a comprehensive QA and testing strategy that combined manual and automated approaches, the health information exchange provider achieved significant improvements in product quality, reduced testing effort, and a more reliable release process. The integration of healthcare domain knowledge, automation, and regulatory-focused testing resulted in a more dependable and compliant testing ecosystem, aligning with the client's mission of connecting caregivers and coordinating patient care securely.
Key Result
500% increase in script creation
QA team no longer an obstacle to growth
~100% application coverage
Case study FAQs
Who was the pharma and healthcare client?
The client was a provider of health information exchange (HIE) solutions serving caregivers worldwide, including hospitals, pharmacies, assisted living, and home care systems, as well as patients. A Fortune 1000 enterprise, it was developing web and mobile applications to coordinate care services and enable caregivers to access medical information and communicate securely.
What testing challenges did the healthcare project present?
Key challenges included minimizing defects reaching User Acceptance Testing while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and audits, establishing a testing methodology tailored to the project, addressing escalating testing costs and late-stage defect detection, and overcoming a deficiency of comprehensive quality testing in the final implementation phase for the health information exchange platform.
How did Appsierra approach testing for the healthcare client?
Appsierra began with a comprehensive gap analysis of existing testing frameworks through interviews and artifact analysis, then tailored an ERP program testing methodology aligned with the V model and ASAP methodology. Requirements were translated into over 7000 checklists, with functional, integration, regression, and smoke testing using Jira, Postman, a custom HL7 validation tool, and Confluence.
What business benefits did the healthcare client achieve?
The client saw the absence of critical defects in production on a monthly basis, achieved through structured requirements analysis, traceability to test cases, and Requirements-Based Testing. Benefits included a 20% reduction in cycle time, a 21% reduction in overall test effort via risk-based testing, faster time-to-market, and a shift-left approach that decreased defects.
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