No software vendor can survive for long if its products don’t perform as intended.
For TeleTracking Technologies, the stakes are even higher. Hospitals use TeleTracking Technologies’ software to automate the workflow of patient transport, placement and bed turnover.
Two decades of closings, along with an aging baby boomer population, means hospitals are crowded and bed capacities are tight. As a result, many hospitals count on patient workflow software like TeleTracking Technologies’ to help deliver quality care and meet their fiscal goals.
It is no surprise, then, that software quality is a high priority for the company.
TeleTracking Technologies’ executive management views the quality-assurance function as business critical. It functions independently of the company’s development and IT functions, and has a direct reporting line into senior management.
“Structuring the company that way ensures that QA processes are not driven by development timelines or goals. We answer directly to senior management, and we’re empowered to develop processes that are highly aligned with QA objectives,” says Suzanne Blanda, director of QA, TeleTracking Technologies.
Those processes depend heavily on the right set of testing tools. Two important capabilities were the basis for refining TeleTracking's QA process:
After evaluating two potential application-performance testing products, TeleTracking Technologies determined that HP LoadRunner software was the best product for the job.
“In the end, it was LoadRunner that came through. By using a Citrix client protocol, LoadRunner recognized the Visual Basic application,” says Darryl Bozeman, senior quality engineer, TeleTracking Technologies.
TeleTracking Technologies has been using LoadRunner ever since, most recently moving to the latest version of the product, LoadRunner 9.0.
Version 9.0 offers more flexibility, including the ability to simulate data entry in pop-up windows, which is a crucial aspect of conducting performance tests on the software.
Before switching to LoadRunner, TeleTracking Technologies had to manually record the data inputs in these windows, which might generate up to 35 lines of script code within each view state. Now it’s done automatically using LoadRunner.
“This has eliminated 90 percent of the manual work I had to put into our load testing scripts," Bozeman says. As a result, the QA team can complete its testing more quickly, and report the test results with more confidence.
When it’s ready to make a “go/no-go” decision on a software release, TeleTracking Technologies’ QA team convenes its software stakeholders to review its testing results, including the business executives responsible for signing off on product launch dates.
Having solid, accurate data about the software’s performance is critical.
“We have to be ready for these meetings,” Bozeman says. “Because that’s when we stand in front of management and tell them whether the software is ready to go. LoadRunner software helps us be prepared.”
Would Bozeman recommend LoadRunner to other QA professionals?
“With this software, the quality of our performance data is outstanding. It lets us create scenarios that we simply couldn’t simulate before. It lets us validate our software with much more confidence,” he says.
“LoadRunner helps ensure our customers get the rock-solid applications they need to manage patient flow,” he adds.
