Client

Our client is a leading US-based bank recognized by Forbes and other reputable sources. It delivers a range of financial services and offers innovative solutions for customers seeking a more convenient way to deal with their banking matters. These solutions enable cutting-edge payment services, such as online transactions with voice-recognition technology, image cash letters processing, merchant point-of-sale systems, and more.

When the client sent us a request, they already had an in-house development team responsible for building and maintaining digital solutions. However, they lacked a structured QA process and often hired ad-hoc vendors for QA services. So, the client was looking for dedicated QA experts to cooperate long-term and establish a more consistent approach to product testing.

Challenge

The client wanted to expand their team with dedicated QA experts who were supposed to fully integrate into their in-house team and work under their management control. In practice, this meant the client would assign QA tasks and create a backlog, and the outstaffed QA experts would then complete the work.

Enhancing the quality of the internal transaction monitoring and verification system was the primary goal that drove the client to commission QA services. But, given the sheer number of their IT projects, they also wanted to find a long-term partner who would improve the overall QA process and address potential testing needs.

Our cooperation

We have been collaborating with this client using the standard staff augmentation model. Our QA experts seamlessly integrate into the client's development team and follow their policies and processes. Meanwhile, Exoft, as the service provider, takes care of all HR, employment, and legal aspects, providing QA experts with the required hardware and workspace.

Our processes

  • Standard Scrum approach. We complete QA tasks from the client’s backlog in two-week sprints.
  • Bi-weekly sprint planning sessions. Every other week, we meet up to plan and prepare for the upcoming sprint.
  • Daily standups. Our QA experts have daily calls to sync their activities, share progress on current QA tasks, and identify any challenges.
  • Transparent communication. We prioritize open and clear communication with the client throughout the testing process. This involves regular reporting and timely updates to keep everyone informed.
  • Security compliance. Our QA experts fully comply with the necessary security measures, just as the client’s in-house team.

We've been collaborating with this client for four years, progressing through the following stages:

Stage 1. Testing core transaction monitoring systems

In 2019, the client asked us to test their internal systems that monitor transactions and check them for errors or deviations. At this stage, our QA experts mainly collaborated with the client's team responsible for supporting and maintaining these systems.

Stage 2. Testing innovative solutions

Over the last two years, the client has been actively exploring innovative solutions to make their payment system even more efficient. For this purpose, they formed an innovation team, and the scope of our collaboration expanded. Now, our QA experts also assist in testing the new solutions developed by this team.

Results

The collaboration is still ongoing. Our QA experts continue to address the client's growing product testing needs to ensure that their digital solutions work properly and remain secure and reliable. So far, the client has received the following outcomes:

Dedicated QA experts and an established QA process

In the past, the client engaged various QA service providers on a task-by-task basis. However, maintaining consistency in testing processes proved to be a challenge. That’s when the client brought us on board.

As a dedicated, long-term partner, we can better understand the intricacies of the client’s digital solutions and, thus, test them more effectively. What’s more, this in-depth knowledge helped us design unified testing processes and implement a standardized and efficient approach across QA tasks.

A test case library and other test documentation

Before our QA experts started working on the client’s tech projects, there were no manual test cases in place. So, it was quite difficult to consistently verify if the software met specified requirements and behaved as intended under various conditions.

Once on board, our QA experts developed a library with almost 3,000 test cases, making product testing more systemic. The information about the testing objects and environment, specific test steps taken, and the expected vs. actual outcomes is now within reach.

We have also developed other necessary test documentation (test plans, test scripts, defect reports, etc).

Our plans: implementing automation tests

We are in talks with the client about incorporating automation tests into their IT projects. This would speed up test execution and expand test coverage.