Code Blue to Green: A Test Manager’s approach in NHS Wales
First of all; let me introduce myself; my name is Jess and in my professional life I’m a Senior Assurance Consultant (otherwise known as a Test Manager) working for Acutest (Part of Trustmarque). I’ve over a decade of expertise in software testing and quality assurance and really love my job – who wouldn’t love getting paid to break things?
In this series of articles, I want to share with you a truly unique opportunity that I stumbled upon when my personal life clashed unexpectedly with my professional life and to share some truly insightful ideas and discoveries with you.
Blinking into reality; how my journey began:
I’ve always had a passion for healthcare and so jumped at the opportunity to work with Digital Health and Care Wales (DHCW) as a Senior Assurance Consultant (Test Manager) at the back end of 2023 completing an Assurance Advancement review for them for the National Eyecare Programme. Now; this programme had been running since 2020 and DHCW recognised that they needed help with testing and so asked Acutest to review their current test capabilities and provide recommendations and actions for improvement…enter Jess!
Acutest’s assurance advancement reviews are truly unique as the foundation of the review is based on our principles and practices which we have been following for over 20 years. More than that though; we don’t just focus on testing; we take a holistic view looking at the business practices covering people, process, technology and governance. The aim of the review is to give the client a view of the things they may not be aware of and give them clarity and insight into what they need to do to enhance their testing capabilities. Think of it as a compass pointing toward improved practices and better outcomes.
Benefits of our approach
I love this kind of approach to process improvement as the collaborative nature gave me access to some truly remarkable people that are striving to transform antiquated systems to improve the overall digital landscape within NHS Wales. The teams I worked with to complete this review were open and honest when responding to my requests for information and my review was a success as
DHCW now had a clear objective insight into the current state of testing for the National Eyecare Programme. They were given a list of recommendations which clearly defined the impact, time to implement and the benefits to applying the recommendations enabling them to move forward with the implementation of the software solution. I received some fabulous feedback from the National Lead and if you would like to read the DHCW Case Study in full; please click here.
So, to end this article; I give you my top three tips for a company wanting to carry out a review of their current test capability:
My top three tips on assurance reviews:
Define the objectives of the review before starting as it’s easy to get sidetracked and end up down a rabbit hole. What starts off as trying to understand the relationship and engagement with 3rd Party Suppliers can quickly turn into a virtual fist fight!
Make sure you share your findings with others in your business – both good and bad! If you’re worried that they’ll shoot the messenger, then you can always engage with Acutest to take the bullet for you.
Take time to really understand your current processes – be objective and be honest.
In my next article Code Name: Defect Detective – Undercover in the NHS I share with you the unexpected opportunities that arose when my personal life clashed with my professional life.
About the Author
I started my testing career back in 2013 as a Test Analyst working for a large multi-national bank. Since then I have worked and trained hard moving up in the testing assurance path in various industries such as banking, hr and automotive and have been working as a Test Manager since 2022.
I joined Acutest (part of Trustmarque) in January 2023 as a Senior Assurance Consultant and have been supporting our clients in media, social housing and healthcare.
