2011 marks the sixth consecutive year EOH Global Testing Services (GTS) has been retained as Vodacom's preferred supplier responsible for a subset of the telecommunications giant's software testing. According to Ezanne Grobler, General Manager at EOH GTS, the success of the agreement is largely attributable to EOH GTS' ability to adapt and effectively deliver on a very specific client directive.
The contract between EOH GTS and Vodacom has expanded from its original 10 applications in 2005 to 165 applications by 2010. “Vodacom previously operated on an ad-hoc testing basis and as a result engaged with different contracting houses, resulting in a lack of cohesiveness with no definitive structures in place,” says Grobler.
“In the five years that we have been working with Vodacom, the processes, deliverables and quality of results have been fine-tuned for optimum delivery.”
The time and effort necessary to obtain domain knowledge cannot be underestimated, says Jacques Claassen, a Vodacom executive. “The decision to outsource software testing is not a one-day exercise. It takes time to fully realise the benefits, and for that reason you cannot constantly change vendors. It needs to be a long-term partnership that constantly evolves in order to capitalise on the investment.”
A few valuable lessons were learnt along the way. “It is sometimes necessary to act as a vendor. We had to learn to identify when a problem was a 'testing problem' that should be solved by the vendor, and when to escalate it as a Vodacom problem, which is often separated by a very thin line. In addition, it is vital to be flexible as best practice does not always conform to the company's product life cycle or culture,” says Grobler.
“People are without a doubt our most valuable asset and it is especially true in software testing where knowledge and experience is inherited, making it crucial to retain key personnel. The EOH GTS team at Vodacom has grown into a cohesive entity that is underpinned by a 'can do' attitude. The wealth of knowledge and skills at our disposal is invaluable and a direct result of a long-term agreement that has been working towards a common goal,” concludes Grobler.
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EOH Global Application Solutions includes South Africa's largest HP software platinum partner, EOH Gallium, as well as EOH Global Testing Solutions (EOH GTS), EOH Global Monitoring Services (EOH GMS) and EOH Governance Process Automation (EOH GPA) EOH GAS focuses on providing innovative end-to-end application testing, monitoring and governance services and solutions.
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EOH Global Testing Services has refined and developed application testing services and delivery methodologies, aligned to global standards and best practices, in order to assess, improve, optimise and assure application quality and performance. Our specialised knowledge on testing process, methodology and solutions within multiple business domains is the backbone of the EOH Global Testing Services solutions offering.
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