Case Study /
A global life insurer

Cleared for takeoff: Ensuring the launch of a new HRM solution with QA & Testing.

The dynamic launch of a global life insurer’s HRM solution—backed by robust QA and testing to ensure a bold, reliable step into the future of human resource management.

SECTOR / INDUSTRY

Insurance & Financial Services

CAPABILITIES FEATURED

Quality Assurance & Testing

CASE STUDY PDF

OVERVIEW

When it readied up for the global launch of a new Human Resource Management (HRM) solution, a life insurance company with international operations chose to make its New Zealand office the testbed for its Workday software. With the stakes high, it engaged Assurity Consulting for Quality Assurance and Testing services, including test management, functional testing, and software quality analysis to underpin the end-to-end delivery. The software was successfully introduced locally, paving the way for a go-live across some 20 other countries. Assurity continues providing data migration and Agile Release Train services for the client on the back of the value generated in the initial project.

KEY OUTCOMES

Applied test management, engineering, business analysis, and execution expertise to deliver a complex project.
Created a global template all territories can use to implement the new Workday and payroll system smoothly.
Replaced multiple legacy applications, helping the human resources team increase productivity and employee satisfaction.

ABOUT THE CLIENT

The client is a multinational life insurance leader with a presence in nearly 20 countries and an annual turnover of almost US$300 billion. Services offered include life insurance, accident and health insurance, savings plans, employee benefits, variable contracts, investment securities, credit life and pension services.

THE CHALLENGE

Reaching the limitations of a legacy HRM system in managing more than 23,000 employees across more than a dozen countries, this major insurer selected the Workday HRM platform to enhance it’s operations. New Zealand’s geographical position and relatively small workforce made it the ideal market to conduct the first migration for a reduced-risk environment while spearheading the broader rollout.

Ensuring the launch of a new HRM solution with QA & Testing for global life insurer - Challenge

Around the same time, the insurer was migrating to a new payroll platform, relocating it along with the Workday HRM solution into a single consolidated data centre. The insurer, therefore, sought to transition all its HRM applications from a current to a target state where Workday handles all human resource information systems functions on a single network, integrated with the new payroll and other dependent systems.

The insurer handled the rollout of the Workday software internally on a multinational basis, with most aspects addressed by common standards and implementation patterns. The implementation and testing of the solution in New Zealand was therefore focused predominantly on the external systems and business processes specific to New Zealand (many of which are determined by prevailing local employment laws and statutes).

Ensuring the launch of a new HRM solution with QA & Testing for global life insurer - Solution

OUR SOLUTION

Assurity initiated and developed the test strategy and plan, creating artifacts including functional and User Acceptance Testing test cases, Test Reports, and Test Summary documents. Test types planned and executed included end-to-end System Integration Testing, Parallel Testing, User Acceptance Testing, Regression Testing and sandbox testing (emulating production testing).

Assurity managed the whole program of work, configuring and testing Workday core modules based on the client’s business maps.

In total, 45 critical business processes were quality assured across modules, including Core HCM, Recruitment, Time Tracking and Absences, Compensation and Benefits, Learning, and Reports.

Considerable customisation of the Workday solution was required to align the system software with New Zealand legislation; this elevates the necessity for thorough testing, leaving nothing to chance.

Faced with an ambitious schedule and the absence of several business process workflows that created additional challenges for the test team, Assurity delivered quality assurance services across multiple sites while drawing on resources in four countries.

Despite limited experience with Workday ahead of the project, Assurity demonstrated that enterprise software test expertise is vendor-independent and delivered the necessary quality assurance for a flawless go-live.

The successful outcome can also be attributed to the close collaboration and enthusiastic engagement from the insurer’s internal Subject Matter Experts and business analysts, Workday itself (including direct contact with its San Francisco head office), and the payroll vendor.

RESULTS

Drawing on its diverse skills and expertise in test management, engineering, business analysis and execution, Assuirty worked alongside the client and multiple external parties to successfully deliver a complex project. The resulting benefits of this will positively impact employees at all insurers across New Zealand. The work done locally also established a global template for the further go-live for the insurer’s employees around the Pacific.

Ensuring the launch of a new HRM solution with QA & Testing for global life insurer - Result

The rollover to the new Workday and payroll system moved the insurer to improved features and functionality for human capital management. Through Assurity’s work, the project was derisked and delivered to the highest standards, validating the selection and readiness of a Workday go-live in the insurer’s other territories. With all connecting systems tested and deployed accurately, within demanding timeframes and within budget, the company today enjoys the visibility, insights and mobility offered by the Workday platform.

Having a holistic solution replaces multiple siloed legacy applications. With Workday, the human resources team has all the insights they need to be more productive and to enhance employee satisfaction.

Share

Related articles

  • Traffic jam

    Beyond software functionality: Why prioritising performance testing is a must

  • Redefining quality for the AI era: Lessons from 20 years at Assurity Consulting

  • Person sitting in front of a laptop with hands on head, appearing focused or deep in thought.

    Avoid ERP failure: How to build resilience in your Microsoft Dynamics 365 Programme