Requirements Testing

As the Bank's primary testing partner, Sopra Group manages and delivers testing services on a number of different projects across the full range of business areas and platforms.  As part of this service and with the support of a number of individual projects, requirements testing phases have been incorporated into the client's standard testing process and become an integral part of project delivery.

Approach

Using the knowledge gained over a number of years working with the client, the approach Sopra Group has adopted is to deliver requirements testing masterclasses, facilitate requirements workshops, conduct requirements testing and then support the testing of ongoing changes to these requirements:

• Requirements Masterclasses: The masterclasses include all stakeholders involved in the drafting and review of requirements.  The purpose is to create a common understanding of the objectives and the standards to be used in the requirements gathering phase and to engender a team ethos with collaborative working, which also benefits the project as a whole.
• Requirements Workshops: Building on these masterclasses, Sopra Group's Test Consultants then facilitate requirements workshops.  These workshops are the first stage in an iterative process geared to developing requirements that will support the design, build and test phases of the project.
• Mature Requirements: As part of this iterative process the testing is conducted and the requirements matured.  Subsequent changes will also be tested, ensuring ongoing stability of the requirements.

Example Project

The Bank required to roll out a small, but significant and technically complex, customer facing (ATM advertising) upgrade.  The upgrade covered multiple brands over various jurisdictions in the UK and abroad.

A requirements masterclass and subsequent requirements workshop were planned at a very early stage in the project lifecycle.  A group representing business, development, system testers, UAT testers & management from the Bank first attended the half day Masterclass, where the concept and techniques were introduced.  This was immediately followed by a requirements workshop, involving all group members, using live and real requirements.  The workshop generated lots of constructive debate which led to significant changes in wording, splitting, merging etc.

Benefits

Where projects have bought into the approach and committed time and effort, the benefits have been considerable.  Recent project outcome reports have emphasised significant benefits including:

• Stable, unambiguous and consistent requirements
• Simplified design; translated into good build and test phases
• Strong project teams which had developed during the requirements phase
• Positive contribution towards alignment of business and IT goals through the collaborative workshop approach.

Sopra Group's relationship with the Bank is ongoing and we continue to provide support in the areas of testing and application development.