Elevating Mortgage Lending: A Testing Center of Excellence Transformation 

Client

A mortgage lender (ML) specialising in technology-driven and personalised solutions for homebuyers.

Background:

In the highly regulated mortgage sector, precision and compliance are paramount. Enter the Testing Center of Excellence (TCoE) and Test Automation – critical strategies reshaping the industry. TCoE centralises testing, fostering collaboration and raising software quality. Meanwhile, Test Automation turbocharges processes, reducing errors and costs. It’s a game-changer that ensures adaptability in a dynamic market. This case study comes from Prolifics Test Automation Solutions and explores how TCoE and Test Automation are transforming mortgage lending.

Challenge

ML embarked on a strategic mission to elevate the quality of their software products, reduce costs, streamline operations, and enhance the efficiency of their IT and development functions. However, they faced several testing challenges:

• Understaffed Testing Team: ML faced the challenge of having too few testing experts, prompting the need to optimise testing processes.
• Developer Involvement in Testing: They aimed to reduce developer involvement in testing through more efficient testing methods.
• Scalability Concerns: ML recognized the need for scalable solutions to support their growing team and complex projects in line with their operational streamlining objectives.

ML partnered with Prolifics to strategically enhance their capabilities and improve operational efficiency. This transformation centred around the creation of a Testing Center of Excellence (TCoE), a cornerstone for increasing testing efficiency, standardising processes, and leveraging automation. The TCoE represents their commitment to streamlining testing efforts, ensuring robust and secure software releases with every step forward.

Approach

We will collaborate with ML to establish a Testing Center of Excellence (TCoE) – a centralised framework that focuses on optimizing and standardising software testing and quality assurance processes. The primary goal of this TCoE is to enhance the quality of ML’s software products while reducing costs and improving efficiency.

Key Components of the Prolifics Testing Center of Excellence Approach:

• Standardised Processes: We establish best practices, methodologies, and standardized testing processes to ensure consistency across all ML projects and teams.
• Resource Centralisation: We centralised testing resources, including skilled testers, tools, and infrastructure, allowing efficient resource sharing across various ML projects.
• Test Automation: Our approach includes implementing and managing test automation strategies to enhance efficiency and reduce manual testing efforts.
• Knowledge Sharing: We facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration among testers and teams to foster continuous learning and improvement.
• Metrics and Reporting: Our approach involves developing metrics and reporting mechanisms to measure the effectiveness of testing efforts and provide valuable insights for decision-making.
• Tool Selection and Management: We identify and manage testing tools and technologies that align with ML’s specific needs and goals.
• Quality Assurance: Our approach ensures that testing aligns with quality assurance principles, encompassing risk assessment, defect tracking, and validation against ML’s business requirements.
• Training and Skill Development: We provide training and skill development opportunities for testing professionals to keep them updated with industry trends and best practices.
• Governance and Compliance: Our approach guarantees that testing processes adhere to industry standards, regulations, and compliance requirements, particularly crucial for highly regulated industries such as finance.

Results

By establishing a TCoE, ML will achieve greater testing efficiency, reduce manual tasks, enhance collaboration, and deliver higher quality experiences to their employees and customers. It also allows them to adapt more effectively to changing business needs and technological advancements. This shift promises to bring about the following key advantages:

Efficiency and Process Optimisation:

• Improved Testing Efficiency: Streamlined processes, faster testing cycles, and reduced duplication of efforts and resources.
• Alignment with Release Model: Alignment with ML’s unique weekly release model, eliminating the need for repetitive testing with each release.
• Better Test Automation: Enhanced automation strategies for higher coverage, faster execution, and improved script maintenance.
• Resource Optimisation: Efficient allocation of testing resources based on project priorities and requirements.

Quality Assurance:

• Enhanced Test Quality: Standardised practices leading to higher-quality deliverables and fewer defects reaching production.
• Increased Test Coverage: Comprehensive test coverage, focusing on critical business functionalities and customer use cases.
• Reduced Escalations: With automated testing ensuring the stability of each release, the client expects a decrease in customer escalations related to software issues.
• Improved Customer Experiences: The enhanced efficiency and reliability of automated testing are poised to lead to improved customer experiences, as software releases become more dependable.

Cost Reduction and Risk Management:

• Cost Reduction: Optimised resource allocation, resulting in lower testing costs and economies of scale.
• Risk Mitigation: Proactive identification and mitigation of testing-related risks, with improved project visibility.

Team Development and Stakeholder Confidence:

• Skilled Testing Teams: Training and upskilling lead to a more proficient workforce and knowledge sharing.
• Stakeholder Confidence: Clear communication and reporting on testing progress, results, and alignment with business goals.
• Continuous Improvement: Establishment of a culture of continuous improvement, regularly adapting to evolving needs and trends.

Compliance and Standardisation:

• Regulatory Compliance: Ensuring industry-specific compliance through standardised testing processes.

About Prolifics Test Automation Solutions

At Prolifics, we empower you with Test Automation and TestOps services tailored to your needs – so you can stay ahead in the fast-paced software world. We offer end-to-end automation testing and seamlessly integrate TestOps into your development cycle. Accelerate your testing, enhance software quality, save costs, and accelerate your time-to-market. Connect with a Test Automation expert today!

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