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Training and consulting work produces good results for DSGi
Every year more than 100 million customers shop with DSG international, one of Europe’s leading electrical retailers and one of the UK’s major companies.
With sales of over £8 billion, 1,200 stores and online shops, an online and physical presence in 27 countries and 43,000 employees, DSG international’s retail and e-tail UK and Irish brands include PC World, Currys and Dixons.co.uk. In addition, they own Elkjøp in the Nordic countries, UniEuro in Italy, Kotsovolos in Greece, Electro World in central Europe, PC City in Spain, Italy and Sweden and Pixmania.com, which operates across Europe.
Eximium were approached to manage the entire testing phase of a £multi-million system replacement project. With a company as large and diverse as DSGi, it is inevitable that the introduction of any new system has to be carefully checked and the system in question was a key system within the organisation.
The team began by planning and preparing the documents that would be needed. “For this project we produced a test strategy, detailed project plans, test plans and test schedules”, explains Derrick Cameron, Eximium’s Technical Director/MD.
The next step for the team was running Eximium’s ‘Essential Software Testing Skills for Business Users’ course for a group of users who were to become the Test Team for the User Acceptance Test phase. Once this training was completed, Eximium also spent time on-site managing and mentoring the Test Team for the project. “We were in charge of training 14 users with no previous experience of testing”, adds Derrick. “The staff were trained and supported by 3 Eximium consultants who helped them to produce all the testing materials, including test scenarios and test scripts, as well as performing all the tests.”
“As this was a unique project, we also created a bespoke test management system which we were responsible for designing and developing from scratch”, explains Derrick. This was used to manage and report on both test scripts and errors identified.
After the initial training, the project took an unexpected turn. The Test Team were asked to complete the System Testing of the system as well as the User Acceptance Testing. Eximium supported the test team through this steep learning curve and the end result was better than anyone had imagined. The rigorous test procedures paid off as over 2,000 errors were identified, managed and retested – which would have been a serious headache and a major cost had they not been identified prior to the introduction of the system. In fact, the system proved to be a big success when it was introduced and continues to be popular within the company.
After launch, a number of the trained users continued on the Support Team, which was a testament to the skills they acquired during the project, and reflects well on their training and guidance. Eximium continue to provide DSGi with ongoing help and support, including work on special projects when required.
For details of how Eximium could help you, call 01582 635 078
With sales of over £8 billion, 1,200 stores and online shops, an online and physical presence in 27 countries and 43,000 employees, DSG international’s retail and e-tail UK and Irish brands include PC World, Currys and Dixons.co.uk. In addition, they own Elkjøp in the Nordic countries, UniEuro in Italy, Kotsovolos in Greece, Electro World in central Europe, PC City in Spain, Italy and Sweden and Pixmania.com, which operates across Europe.
Eximium were approached to manage the entire testing phase of a £multi-million system replacement project. With a company as large and diverse as DSGi, it is inevitable that the introduction of any new system has to be carefully checked and the system in question was a key system within the organisation.
The team began by planning and preparing the documents that would be needed. “For this project we produced a test strategy, detailed project plans, test plans and test schedules”, explains Derrick Cameron, Eximium’s Technical Director/MD.
The next step for the team was running Eximium’s ‘Essential Software Testing Skills for Business Users’ course for a group of users who were to become the Test Team for the User Acceptance Test phase. Once this training was completed, Eximium also spent time on-site managing and mentoring the Test Team for the project. “We were in charge of training 14 users with no previous experience of testing”, adds Derrick. “The staff were trained and supported by 3 Eximium consultants who helped them to produce all the testing materials, including test scenarios and test scripts, as well as performing all the tests.”
“As this was a unique project, we also created a bespoke test management system which we were responsible for designing and developing from scratch”, explains Derrick. This was used to manage and report on both test scripts and errors identified.
After the initial training, the project took an unexpected turn. The Test Team were asked to complete the System Testing of the system as well as the User Acceptance Testing. Eximium supported the test team through this steep learning curve and the end result was better than anyone had imagined. The rigorous test procedures paid off as over 2,000 errors were identified, managed and retested – which would have been a serious headache and a major cost had they not been identified prior to the introduction of the system. In fact, the system proved to be a big success when it was introduced and continues to be popular within the company.
After launch, a number of the trained users continued on the Support Team, which was a testament to the skills they acquired during the project, and reflects well on their training and guidance. Eximium continue to provide DSGi with ongoing help and support, including work on special projects when required.
For details of how Eximium could help you, call 01582 635 078
