BACK OFFICE
Strategies and technologies to boost
behind-the-scenes efficiencies
Trimming Testing Time
Pays Dividends for Insurer
Western and Southern
employs a new testing
model to slash software
time-to-maturity.
By Jim Romeo
FOR THE WESTERN AND SOUTHERN Financial Group, developing life insurance and annuity products requires software to support their operations. Shortening the time required to
develop such software can make these products ready for
market introduction sooner, and subsequently produce a
competitive advantage.
In the fall of 2006, Cincinnati-based Western and
Southern tasked Sogeti USA, a Dayton, Ohio-based IT
consultancy, to help improve its test process. Ultimately,
they wanted to reduce the time to maturity of their software development. In order to do so, they had to assess
where they were in their test process, determine where
and what could be improved, and outline a plan of action
to reach their desired objectives.
“They took a look at our maturity level as to how we
test,” says Clint Gibler, SVP and CIO of Western and
Southern Financial Services. According to Gibler, Sogeti
was tasked with a specific deliverable to analyze how
Western Southern tested their software products, and
how to improve the process.
Western and Southern sought to capitalize on the corporate knowledge and best practices from the breadth of
experience that a consultant could bring. For Sogeti, this
experience draws upon their extensive experience in test
process improvement.
Testing is part of software development, and typically,
software development to support a financial product
takes between three and five months. Shaving time off
this cycle would be a worthwhile objective and pay divi-
