The Challenge
The CIO of a big box retailer was seeking to improve the productivity of his IT organization. Existing SDLC and change management procedures provided an adequate framework for project and change execution, but lacked formality in the areas of requirements management and quality assurance (QA). Sophelle was retained to assist in the enhancement of these areas.
Sophelle’s Assessment
The business had previously selected and purchased IBM Rational RequisitePro as a requirements management tool and IBM Rational ClearQuest as a test and defect management tool. However, the tools had yet to be deployed for use and none of the IT staff had been trained to use them. Quality assurance procedures were informal – test plans lacked traceability to requirements, defect tracking was managed via spreadsheets, and testing was entirely manual, lacking reliability and efficiency.
Solution
Sophelle worked with the IT staff to complete the installation and deployment of Rational RequisitePro and ClearQuest. Sophelle assisted with an evaluation of test automation tools for automated functional and load testing. Subsequently, Sophelle managed the deployment of the selected option, and integration with ClearQuest.
With the tools in place, Sophelle developed and conducted training programs for the IT staff to learn how to use the new Rational Tools for requirements and test management. Sophelle provided support and mentoring as the tools were integrated into the SDLC.
Result
The new requirements management and defect tracking tools provided the business with improved traceability from requirements definition through test planning and execution, ensuring more comprehensive test plans and higher quality output. The introduction of automated testing tools improved the speed and consistency of functional and regression test cycles. The IT staff are now better positioned to deliver higher quality projects through the use of more streamlined and comprehensive requirements and test management procedures.
Please contact Sophelle today for more information.
