Formalised software testing is essential if a company hopes to survive in the modern competitive environment. Users are becoming more discerning and no longer accept software bugs as inevitable.
Automated Testing Tools, like Mercury Interactive`s Test Suite, are the traditional domain of the big bank, large financial organisation, multinational and government department. But de Meyer Konchev (DMK), a relatively small software development company based in Randburg, is breaking that mould.
Most organisations of DMK`s size go to an outside testing bureau if they want the benefit of the best available tools. DMK was no exception, but soon found that the laboratory it chose didn`t understand its needs.
So the company went to Mercury Interactive which persuaded DMK that it should buy the product itself. DMK chose TestDirector to manage the process and WinRunner to automate its test scripts. In addition, it bought Mercury`s QuickStart package, which includes a Certified Consultant to install the software, train staff and implement the whole process.
"This was the best move we`ve ever made," says Jaco Claassens DMK`s CEO. "We were having problems with software quality and had to act fast. Unfortunately, we went the wrong way at first but now we know we are on the right track."
DMK has been designed as a multi-tier ERP system, aimed at meeting all of the information, transaction processing and data analysis needs of an enterprise. The vision is to provide an organisation with a single point of data capture and entry, and through the use of a holistic and integrated system, provide the capability to proactively collect and collate data in the manner that it is most likely to be used for analysis purposes.
The unique hierarchical nature of the system allows for ease of integration and reporting. The component-based structure of DMK provides a fully integrated system, in contrast to traditional modular ERP systems that require integration at an additional cost. This innovative approach in the design makes this system unique in the marketplace.
"Having an in-house Mercury testing capability has enabled us to improve our product quality and has been instrumental in securing us an international client base," added Claassens.
Mercury chose Micro to Mainframe (M.to.M.) as its partner to carry out the on-site customisation at DMK.
"This was a tricky situation," said Mercury Interactive`s Sales Director Graeme Allcock. "You have to admire DMK`s persistence after things went a tad wrong at the beginning. The people at M.to.M. have a lot of experience in this type of installation so we had no hesitation in choosing them to partner us on this project."
"The product is great," said Claassens, "but without M.to.M. we could have struggled for a long time. I believe, with a product of this sophistication, you have to have an expert on board to keep you on the straight and narrow. Since the M.to.M. consultant walked through the door we know exactly where we are heading. I think the most important thing he taught us was the value of proper planning. Anyone is welcome to give me a ring or even come and see us at any time for an on-site demonstration."
DMK has a team of five consultants in the test lab all trained on Mercury`s TestSuite. There is a QA manager, a test designer, one consultant responsible for data preparation and two scripters. The quality team is managed by M.to.M.
Claassens believes that it is virtually impossible to quantify the benefit of proper testing from an accounting point of view. However, when he didn`t have Mercury and M.to.M. on board he lost a big order because of quality issues, and since adopting TestDirector and WinRunner he`s landed a big international contract.
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