Client Overview
The FUJIFILM Corporation family of companies has over 70 years of imaging experience and amassing multiple trillions in annual revenue. FUJIFILM Medical Systems U.S.A. (FMSU) is a leading provider of diagnostic imaging products and network systems to meet the needs of healthcare facilities today, and well into the future. FMSUs Synapse® PACS (picture archiving and communications system) provides a seamless solution for managing, storing, and distributing images and information throughout the entire healthcare enterprise.
Business Needs and Objectives
FMSU was looking for a strategic software testing partner to assure the quality of the PACS systems it was developing while controlling costs, limiting overhead, and maximizing flexibility. The challenges included building the right software test team, executing high level tests that required special expertise in healthcare protocols, staying on schedule, and delivering these testing services on budget. FMSU considered both onshore and offshore testing alternatives.
The Qualitest Solution
After a one month evaluation, Qualitest was selected to provide a flexible on-shore, on-site software test resource. Starting with a group of only a few testers in one location, the Qualitest team has grown to testing groups located in four states (California, Connecticut, Indiana, and New Jersey). The total number of test professionals has ramped up to as many as 50 testers including people with various levels of experience (senior, mid-level, and junior). The Qualitest team can be increased or reduced in size in a matter of weeks to adjust for FMSU’s varying test requirements.
Over the years the Qualitest team has performed a variety of testing functions. Manual unit testing and integration testing have been conducted. Verification and validation (V&V) testing to establish compliance with the FDA’s 21 CFR Part 820 regulations has also been successfully completed. Software test automation projects have been performed utilizing keyword driven testing (KDT) and employing automation tools. The Qualitest team also dramatically increased FMSU’s use of the exploratory testing approach. In so doing, FMSU has increased the effectiveness of its testing and also saved money.
The Result
FMSU has reaped a number of benefits from its on-going testing partnership with Qualitest. First, it has been able to utilize test professionals with superior skills that are well matched to its particular testing assignments. The quality of the test resources provided by Qualitest is high with more than 87% of the testers sent for initial trials with the FMSU teams receiving invitations to join these teams.
Since Qualitest provides a one-week riskfree evaluation of all its test resources, FMSU was not charged for those test resources not retained after the initial evaluation period. Of even greater significance, the churn rate for the Qualitest testers is especially low. Over 92% of all Qualitest testers who have worked at FMSU have continued on the job for two years or longer. FMSU has also kept its administrative costs lower and its overhead down by relying on Qualitest to take responsibility for providing these test resources. Adding or cutting back test resources is achieved via a phone call.
