Planit

5 Risks You Can’t Ignore in D.I.Y. Quality

Francis Taylor — Wed, 17 Dec 2025 21:55:13 +0000

Articles

QAQualityAssuranceQualityEngineeringTesting

5 Risks You Can’t Ignore in D.I.Y. Quality

In-house quality engineering can drain budgets, slow down delivery and leave you open to risk. Know the true costs before you start — and why leading businesses are choosing partnerships instead.

Taking your quality engineering in-house can be a risky gamble.

It might start out as a well-intentioned effort to save money, but it often spirals into operational bottlenecks, delayed releases and skill gaps your team can’t fill.

Worse, there’s a range of hidden pitfalls that can sabotage your efforts before you even begin.

Fortunately, we’ve put together this handy infographic to help you steer clear of the 5 biggest risks of relying on D.I.Y. Quality.

Download it now to discover:

The hidden costs that make in-house quality engineering so expensive.
How internal teams fall behind agile releases and DevOps cycles.
The difference between “maintenance mode” and true innovation.
The reason so many businesses struggle to find skilled testers.
How the right partnership can deliver measurable savings.

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PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025 – Planit recognised as a Leader and Star Performer in Quality Engineering Specialist Services

Francis Taylor — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 04:15:00 +0000

Articles

AnalystReviewQualityEngineeringSoftwareTesting

PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025 – Planit recognised as a Leader and Star Performer in Quality Engineering Specialist Services

Everest Group has named Planit a Leader and Star Performer in their Quality Engineering (QE) Specialist Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025.

15 December 2025

Everest Group has recognised Planit as both a Leader and Star Performer in their Quality Engineering (QE) Specialist Services PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025.

The PEAK Matrix® provides an objective, data-driven assessment of service and technology providers based on their overall capability and market impact across different global services markets, classifying them into three categories: Leaders, Major Contenders and Aspirants.

For this year’s QE Specialist Services report, the Everest Group benchmarked 21 providers with a dedicated strategic focus on end-to-end quality engineering services.

As part of this assessment, Planit was named a Star Performer, a designation given to providers that have shown the most year-over-year improvement in their position on the PEAK Matrix®.

Such strong positioning reaffirms our ability to deliver high-quality engineering solutions, enabling businesses to enhance software quality, achieve faster time-to-market and meet evolving customer demands.

You can access the full report here.

Planit was also named a Major Contender in Quality Engineering (QE) for mid-market enterprises in the PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2024, where we were recognised for the value we delivered, our vision and strategy, scope of services offered, innovation and investments, and delivery footprint.

About Everest Group:

Everest Group is a leading research firm helping business leaders make confident decisions. They guide clients through today’s market challenges and strengthen their strategies by applying contextualised problem-solving to their unique situations. Their deep expertise and tenacious research focus on technology, business processes, and engineering. Visit www.everestgrp.com to know more about the company and its offerings.

About Planit:

Planit is a global leader in Quality Engineering, providing innovative solutions to drive digital transformation and ensure the delivery of high-quality software. With a team of experienced professionals and a strong focus on customer satisfaction, Planit provides businesses with the vision, precision, and independence they need to improve the quality of their software and the way they deliver it.

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In today’s competitive landscape, organisations expect to deliver more ambitious technical outcomes at improved efficiency. We can help you achieve these goals by embedding quality throughout the lifecycle, optimising your delivery to improve outcomes, accelerate speed, and decrease cost.

Find out how we can help you mature your quality engineering practices to consistently achieve better results with greater efficiency.

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Planit & Specsavers Win Best Test Project in Retail at the European Software Testing Awards 2025

Francis Taylor — Tue, 02 Dec 2025 06:21:59 +0000

Articles

DigitalQualityQualityEngineeringSoftwareTesting

Planit & Specsavers Win Best Test Project in Retail at the European Software Testing Awards 2025

Planit and Specsavers prove quality engineering can deliver meaningful impact for real customers, with award judges praising the entry's "authenticity, empathy and social value."

Planit UK, in partnership with Specsavers, has been recognised at the European Software Testing Awards 2025, taking home the prestigious Best Test Project in Retail.

The awards celebrate the very best in software quality across the UK and Europe, with judges assessing entries for innovation, value, and real-world impact.

In addition to winning the award, our partnership also received a Special Commendation, awarded only to submissions demonstrating exceptional authenticity and social value. As the judges noted:

“This entry demonstrated how quality engineering can improve real-world outcomes. The team prioritised user experience, accessibility, and reliability over hype. The results felt real, with measurable outcomes. This one stands out for authenticity, empathy, and social value. Innovation doesn’t always require bleeding-edge technology, just intelligent design and genuine care.”

This honour reflects not just the impact of the solution, but the strength of a partnership built on trust, collaboration, and a shared focus on improving real experiences for customers and teams. It highlights the difference that two organisations can make when aligned in purpose and delivery.

Why our project stood out

The Best Test Project in Retail category is one of the most competitive categories in these awards, recognising work that elevates customer experience, strengthens operational resilience, and delivers tangible business benefits making it.

The winning project recognised by ESTA centred on Specsavers’ Self Refraction programme, where Planit helped deliver a more intuitive, accessible, and reliable eye-testing experience for customers.

From day one, the partnership between Planit and Specsavers was anchored in a simple belief: clinical innovation must never lose sight of the human element. Every decision (every test, every scenario, every refinement) was shaped around real people and real outcomes. By simulating real store conditions, capturing authentic user interactions, and using immersive customer and optometrist personas, the team was able to see the experience exactly as people would live it.

The result was a smoother, faster eye-test journey; increased appointment capacity; stronger clinical trust; and a noticeable uplift in customer satisfaction.

Why this win matters

This award reflects both organisations’ shared belief that meaningful innovation begins with understanding real people and their needs.

For Planit, it reinforces our ability to design assurance strategies rooted in real behaviour and deliver solutions that are safe, accessible, resilient, and genuinely impactful.

It also demonstrates our capability to partner deeply with clients, shaping outcomes that enhance customer trust, strengthen operational confidence, and create long-term value.

Looking ahead, Planit remains focused on helping UK organisations strengthen resilience, improve customer experience, and deliver services that work reliably in demanding environments. The success of this award-winning project with Specsavers underlines the value of getting quality right from the outset.

If you’re seeking a partner with a proven track record across complex retail and healthcare settings, we’d welcome a conversation.

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Modernising HR at Watercare

Magda Maliszewska — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 23:39:36 +0000

Case Studies

FunctionalTestingIntegrationQualityAssuranceQualityEngineeringTestAutomation

Modernising HR at Watercare

How Planit partnered with New Zealand’s largest water utility to streamline HR operations and identity governance with the successful testing of Workday and SailPoint implementations.

25 November 2025

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Watercare is New Zealand’s largest water utility, supplying 1.7 million Aucklanders with safe drinking water and reliable wastewater services. Owned by Auckland Council, Watercare operates under stringent public health, environmental, and economic regulations to deliver essential services while safeguarding the environment.

To modernise HR operations and strengthen identity governance, Watercare embarked on a multi-phase Human Resources Information System (HRIS) transformation. Partnering closely with Planit, the two teams worked side by side to deliver the programme successfully, ensuring every milestone met Watercare’s quality, security, and operational standards.

Key Outcomes:

1400+ Workday functional test cases

450+ IGA and NERM scenarios covering provisioning, lifecycle processes, and access governance

2 parallel payroll test runs completed and signed off

0 P1/P2 defects during hypercare

Driving quality across a multi-stream programme

Watercare’s HRIS programme set out to replace fragmented and outdated systems with a unified, digital-first platform that would improve efficiency, compliance, and enhance employee experience.

Two key projects were launched as part of the HRIS programme:

HCM Project
(Workday Implementation):
Designed to digitise and streamline HR operations, improve reporting and analytics, and support a scalable, user-friendly HR experience.
IGA Project
(SailPoint Implementation):
Addressed the need for improved access and identity governance following National Institute of Standards and Technology(NIST) audit findings. This included building an employee master repository while automating joiner/mover/leaver provisioning, and integrating with the new Workday system.

Several challenges complicated the successful rollout of this programme. Watercare was managing a broad, multi-system environment with multiple disconnected applications that were not fully aligned. This lack of synchronicity presented a real risk of inefficiencies, inconsistent employee data, and a heavy manual workload across departments.

If data migration failed, the impact would have been significant, ranging from missing payroll information to incorrect contract generation for new employees, and potential union or compliance issues. A delay in delivery would have further forced costly extensions to existing licences and the continued use of outdated systems, creating even greater operational strain.

Our approach: precision, partnership and progress

Planit partnered with Watercare as the quality and assurance lead for the HRIS programme, providing end-to-end quality engineering across both the HCM and IGA streams. Our services included unit, functional, system integration and exploratory testing, production verification testing (PVT), data migration validation, test automation, and comprehensive test management, from programme-level governance to project-level execution. Our hybrid delivery model, with local experts supported by offshore automation specialists, ensured continuous progress, flexibility, and rapid responsiveness throughout the engagement.

The rollout was delivered through three key go-lives:

Workday + SailPoint Identity Security Cloud including Non- Employee Risk Management
SailPoint to Infor Enterprise Resource Planning (via Infor Federation Service)
Workday to Infor Enterprise Performance Management forecasting cube

What made this project particularly challenging was not just the number of integration points, but also the wide spectrum of stakeholders involved. Many of the project contributors came from different parts of the organisation with varying levels of familiarity with platforms like Workday and SailPoint. That meant we needed to bridge communication gaps, build shared understanding and a deep partnership, and ensure nothing was lost in translation across the various streams.

Our team embedded deeply within the programme, working closely with Watercare stakeholders at every level. Together, we established a strong governance rhythm, bridged communication between steering committee and delivery teams, and ensured shared understanding across streams. We raised risks early, supported business decision-making, and kept everyone aligned on scope and timelines. We built up our own knowledge by engaging with both the SailPoint Academy and Workday community, and we even upskilled in local compliance (such as the NZ Holidays Act).

Scaling responsively to evolving needs

As the programme evolved, so did the demands. In collaboration with Watercare’s internal leadership, we introduced a Programme Test Manager to oversee both streams and maintain alignment across parallel delivery tracks. A dedicated HCM Test Lead focused on SME testing coordination, scripting, and defect management, while an additional Integration Tester was onboarded seven weeks prior to go-live to strengthen cross-system test coverage.

Together with Watercare, we adapted triage meetings, reporting rhythms, and steering committee updates to align with delivery needs, ensuring clear communication and quick turnaround of insights and actions. When platform limitations surfaced, such as customisation constraints within Workday, we collaborated with stakeholders to validate workarounds and protect the integrity of core workflows.

This ability to scale, pivot, and integrate seamlessly into Watercare’s delivery structure was key to keeping the programme on track and delivering to scope.

“What stood out throughout this engagement was the strong sense of shared ownership. Planit partnered with us to solve problems, anticipate risks, and bring structure and clarity across the programme. It always felt like a team effort, with open dialogue and a mutual commitment to getting it right. That collaborative spirit is what made the difference.”

Jamaine Naicker,
Head of Digital Applications

Delivering a quality HRIS

By the end of the engagement, Watercare successfully implemented a secure and stable digital environment with Workday and SailPoint at its core. All three phases of the programme were delivered on time and under budget, with a smooth transition into business-as-usual operations.

The Workday platform went live for more than 1,300 employees and contingent workers and the SailPoint NERM (Non-Employee Risk Management) enabled the managing of risks associated with the onboarding of circa 5000 sub-contractor non employees. We completed multiple rounds of testing across separate environments, including two full parallel payroll runs which were formally signed off. Our test team was involved in the test execution of almost 1950 test cases (more than 1400 of which were for Workday and almost 450 for the IGA stream). Both Planit and Watercare teams validated joiner, mover, leaver workflows, embedded compliance and access control testing, and ensured data
accuracy and integrity across multiple integrated environments.

During the hypercare period, no critical (P1 or P2) defects were raised. Any remaining medium and low-priority tickets were triaged and resolved collaboratively by a cross-functional team spanning Project, Business, Digital Applications, and the Digital Service Desk, with only a handful of items transitioned to the now-active BAU Jira stream.

Independent internal audits were conducted across both the HCM and IGA programmes during final end-to-end testing. Reports submitted to the CEO and Board highlighted the joint success of the programme, particularly in areas of procurement, invoicing, and financial control. Watercare praised the consistent, consolidated reporting, especially the clarity of our weekly test status updates and structured presentations across steering
committee and project forums.

This engagement was more than a delivery programme. Instead, it was a true partnership. By aligning goals, sharing accountability, and fostering open collaboration, Planit and Watercare jointly delivered a secure, scalable HR and identity solution that now underpins the organisation’s workforce operations.

Building on the strong foundation established during the HRIS transformation, Planit and Watercare continue to explore opportunities to strengthen quality assurance practices across future digital initiatives.

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The hidden cost of building your own in-house quality function

Francis Taylor — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 04:42:10 +0000

Articles

DigitalQualityQualityEngineeringSoftwareTesting

The hidden cost of building your own in-house quality function

Building an in-house quality function can seem straightforward, but the hidden costs, skill gaps and capability challenges often tell a different story.

Many organisations reach a point where they begin asking whether building an internal Quality Engineering (QE) capability will give them greater control, lower costs, and faster delivery. On the surface, insourcing seems like a logical step, especially when budgets are tight and expectations around autonomy and accountability continue to rise.

But as with any major capability shift, the real question isn’t “can we do this internally?” It’s “can we do it well, sustainably, and at the pace the business demands?”

When you look beyond the initial intent, a more complex reality comes into view.

Why businesses choose to build their own capability

The move toward in-house quality is often driven by a combination of factors:

A belief that internal teams will ultimately cost less
A desire to protect IP and retain organisational knowledge
Concerns about vendor lock-in or limited flexibility
A long-term vision to grow capability from within
Cultural alignment and direct control over delivery

These drivers make sense, but they also assume that internal capability is easier, cheaper, and more scalable than it truly is.

Where the model starts to strain

1. The true cost can be higher than it appears

Building a modern QE function requires far more than hiring a handful of testers. Salaries, training, licences, turnover, specialist skills, tooling and ongoing uplift efforts add up quickly.

Many organisations discover that the costs they expected to reduce are the ones that steadily grow.

2. Skill gaps can become operational risks

Quality Engineering is now a broad, multi-disciplinary capability spanning automation, performance, security, AI, DevOps alignment, and strategic quality leadership.

Finding and retaining people who can operate across this spectrum is difficult, and losing even one or two key individuals can create a significant gap.

3. Delays can occur as demands increase

In agile and DevOps environments, quality must be fast, repeatable, and deeply embedded.

Internal teams without accelerators, frameworks, or specialist support often struggle to maintain momentum, causing delays that affect the broader delivery roadmap.

4. Quality maturity can stagnate

Teams focused on meeting delivery deadlines rarely have the capacity to modernise processes, adopt new toolsets, or introduce advancements like AI-enabled testing.

Over time, this leads to capability that works, but doesn’t evolve.

5. Internal teams can become overextended

It’s common for small in-house quality teams to be stretched across multiple projects, domains, and responsibilities. As priorities shift, quality effort becomes thinly spread, creating inconsistent outcomes and increasing the likelihood of issues slipping through.

A smarter way to building quality

Partnering with quality providers like Planit can help organisations strengthen their in-house capability without placing unrealistic expectations on internal teams or introducing unnecessary cost and risk.

Planit provides:

Specialist talent on demand

From automation engineers and performance specialists to security and AI-driven quality experts, Planit gives organisations rapid access to skills that are difficult and expensive to build internally. Our consultants bring modern practices, structured training, and deep domain experience that accelerate uplift from day one.

Accelerators, frameworks and IP that amplify capability

The combination of skills and IP is powerful, and Planit has invested heavily in both.

Over decades, we’ve developed a suite of proprietary platforms and frameworks, including Amplify, DoT, and Voltage, along with a wide range of accelerators tailored by industry and by technology platform.

These assets allow our consultants to reduce setup time, improve consistency, and increase delivery speed across projects. Because they’ve been created from hundreds of engagements, they deliver value quickly, and would be extremely difficult for any organisation to replicate in-house.

Knowledge transfer, coaching, and co-innovation

We work alongside internal teams, not instead of them. Through structured uplift, coaching, Communities of Practice, and hands-on knowledge transfer, we ensure capability grows inside your organisation and continues to evolve long after the engagement ends.

Flexible engagement models that adapt to your organisation

Our ways of working are designed to align with each client’s structure, delivery model, and maturity. Our engagement models can scale up and down as required, without the rigidity or lock-in of traditional service models.

Seamless access to broader transformation capability through the NRI Group
As part of NRI, Planit also gives organisations the ability to extend beyond quality into end-to-end digital transformation when needed. With deep expertise across platforms such as Oracle, SAP, and Salesforce, NRI ANZ can support broader technology change programs.

This integrated model ensures clients get both the depth of dedicated QE and the breadth of transformation capability, without managing multiple disconnected providers.

Conclusion: Capability is an asset… but only when it’s built right

Building quality in-house can work, but it requires significant investment, ongoing uplift, and a broad mix of skills that are increasingly hard to maintain internally. For many organisations, the perceived advantages of insourcing don’t align with the operational realities they face.

With proven delivery patterns, AI-enabled practices, and mature automation frameworks, Planit helps organisations accelerate quality outcomes while reducing risk and effort. The result is a capability that delivers sooner, more consistently, and with greater confidence.

The goal isn’t to replace internal capability. It’s to strengthen it, so your teams can focus on what they do best.

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Watch On-Demand: Lessons from the Post Office Scandal – and What It Means for the AI Era

Magda Maliszewska — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 01:11:54 +0000

Events & Webinars

GenAIQualityEngineeringUKPostOffice

Watch On-Demand: Lessons from the Post Office Scandal – and What It Means for the AI Era

Missed the live session? The full webinar is now available to stream - offering vital lessons from one of history’s biggest technology-driven scandals, and a clear blueprint for avoiding similar failures in today’s AI-powered world.

Explore the Webinar Presentation Slides

The UK Post Office scandal now seared into public consciousness via recent media coverage exposed a chain of systemic failures: defective code, unauthorised system access, ignored evidence, and failed governance that ruined lives.

Want a closer look at what we covered? Access the full presentation deck to revisit the key insights, data points, and recommendations shared by our experts.

What happens when governance fails — and technology goes unquestioned?

> Over 900 prosecutions
> Nearly 1,000 people wrongfully convicted, imprisoned, and bankrupted
> Compensation now exceeds £663m, paid to more than 4,300 claimants
> Total allocation set at £1.8 billion
> At least 13 individuals took their own lives
> £132 million in legal fees

We’ll explore how Second Sight UK uncovered the failures across flawed code and defects, unauthorised remote access, and lack of governance – and how independent assurance and embedded quality engineering could have surfaced the issues early, and how the same principles must now be applied to algorithms, data, and autonomous decision systems.

A compelling call for leaders to rethink how they design, test, and trust critical systems — from financial software to generative AI — before the next scandal unfolds.

What You'll Learn:

Drawing on insights from the public inquiry, Planit’s expertise in Quality Engineering and Risk Intelligence, and Second Sight UK’s investigative experience, this session explores how to prevent a ‘Horizon-style collapse’ – especially in the age of AI.

You’ll gain powerful insights into:

How poor system quality, weak governance, and broken incentives led to one of the world’s largest miscarriages of justice.
The warning signs every executive should recognise — and why early intervention matters.
The essential role of independent quality assurance, internal audit, and whistleblowing pathways.
How to build resilient systems, risk frameworks, and a culture that puts truth and transparency first.
Practical steps to safeguard your organisation from its own “Horizon moment.”

This is more than a case study — it’s a wake-up call for leaders responsible for technology, governance, and risk. Learn how to turn lessons into lasting prevention, with real-world strategies that combine Planit’s Quality Engineering expertise and Second Sight’s investigative insight.

Lee Mauger

Director, ANZ

- Second Sight -

Healthy Living Resources

Your Hosts:

Russell Ewart

General Manager, Central/NZ

- Planit-

Healthy Living Resources

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Watch On-Demand: The State of Quality 2025

Magda Maliszewska — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:21:36 +0000

Events & Webinars

GenAIGlobalQualityIndexQualityAssuranceQualityEngineering

Watch On-Demand: The State of Quality 2025

Missed the Live Webinar? Watch the State of Quality 2025 recording anytime. Explore the latest trends, challenges, and opportunities shaping quality engineering across ANZ – now available to stream at your convenience.

Download the Full Global Quality Index 2025/26 Report

The 2025/26 Global Quality Index, in partnership with UiPath, captures a pivotal moment where AI, automation, and smarter skills are reshaping the future of delivery. Backed by the voices of global quality leaders, it’s your complete guide to delivering smarter, faster and more customer-focused outcomes in an AI age.

Access deeper insights, data points, and analysis in the full research report.

The live session may be over, but the insights are just as valuable. Watch our on-demand webinar to discover what’s driving quality outcomes in leading organisations, how they are adapting their quality engineering practices, and what the findings from our latest research mean for the year ahead.

Hear from our experts as they unpack the key findings, share industry perspectives, and highlight the shifts shaping quality engineering in 2025/26 and beyond.

What you'll learn

The strategic importance of QE as a driver of customer experience and digital transformation.
The biggest challenges holding teams back, from unclear requirements to skill shortages and collaboration barriers.
How AI and automation are reshaping quality delivery, with most leaders now using or planning to use AI in testing and QE.
The skills and practices that define high-performing quality teams.

Drawing on our extensive research, we’ll share key findings on AI adoption, emerging skills and future investment plans, giving you a clearer picture of where Quality Engineering is heading next.

Key Takeaways:

Discover where QE creates measurable business value.
Learn what top performers do differently to achieve “excellent” software quality.
See how organisations are harnessing AI and automation.
Identify the skills that will define the next generation of quality engineers.

Your hosts:

Phil Johnson

General Manager - Practices & Industries

- Planit -

Healthy Living Resources

Susanne Matson

Practice Director - Customer Insight & Advisory

- Planit-

Healthy Living Resources

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The Global Quality Index 2025/2026: Highlights

Francis Taylor — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 03:55:39 +0000

Articles

AIQualityEngineering

The Global Quality Index 2025/2026: Highlights

Our definitive report uncovers how the world’s top organisations are transforming testing, accelerating AI adoption and investing in resilience for the digital era.

29 October 2025

In our recent release of the Global Quality Index 2025/26, we surveyed more than 200 quality leaders to find out how businesses are adapting their quality processes to deliver faster, smarter and more resilient digital experiences.

What emerged from this research was a clear message: the demand for faster releases and a seamless customer experience is only expected to grow, and more organisations are embracing the fact that quality is no longer the responsibility of just a single testing team.

Most importantly, the rise of AI is changing how quality engineering is conducted, and what was seen as a ‘future consideration’ just 12 months ago has now become a huge part of how software is delivered.

The balancing act of speed and quality

Ask quality leaders what keeps them up at night and you’ll get a bunch of different answers, though one stands out among them: How to increase speed without sacrificing quality?

However, the numbers don’t just point to an issue of speed. Alignment is also an issue, with many quality leaders reporting friction between teams or a lack of clarity.

Addressing these challenges requires more than just a technical fix. While Agile or DevOps practices can help, a broader approach that incorporates cultural and organisational strategies is also necessary.

Even as quality organisations grapple with these issues, Customer Experience (CX) remains a top priority, with 57% of leaders identifying it as their main goal. This means the challenge isn’t just how fast teams can ship, but how reliably they can deliver with confidence every time.

How AI is changing the game

One way that quality teams have responded to the demand for faster delivery is by adopting AI.

While the growing presence of AI tools won’t be a surprise to anyone, the speed with which they’ve gained traction is much more impressive.

The value of these tools can’t be understated either. Those surveyed have reported multiple benefits from using Generative AI, from increased speed to improved accuracy. Even better, only 11% of respondents see a reduced need for human testers, which suggests that AI will complement quality engineers instead of replacing them.

The bigger concern is with how these tools are being implemented. Although many organisations are deploying AI across their business functions, our survey found they don’t always understand how to ensure their quality. This means quality engineering must now test AI tools and systems themselves, not just use them.

The road ahead for quality leaders

So, how are businesses planning to address the rise of AI and the realities of quality delivery?

One response has been greater investment. In fact, 38% of organisations expect their quality and testing budgets to increase over the next twelve months. This represents a significant shift from 2024.

Alongside these investments, quality leaders are also rethinking the skills needed to deliver effectively in this new environment.

It’s all part of what could make 2025 a real turning point for quality engineering.

We’re seeing a move away from slow, manual testing toward a smarter, more connected approach to quality engineering. With AI, automation and skilled teams coming together, quality is becoming something that supports faster delivery and better customer experiences.

Effectively, the Global Quality Index 2025/26 explores where AI is making the biggest gains and which skills will define the future of quality teams. Download it today for powerful insights on how to build confidence into every release.

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Strengthening test governance maturity at ACS

Magda Maliszewska — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 06:35:45 +0000

Case Studies

QualityAssuranceTestAutomationUAT

Strengthening test governance maturity at ACS

27 October 2025

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Founded in 1966, the Australian Computer Society (ACS) is the country’s largest professional body for the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, supporting over 40,000 tech professionals across business, government, and education.

As the digital demands of members evolved, so too did the complexity of maintaining and upgrading the ACS website. With upgrade initiatives and day-to-day operations running simultaneously, ACS needed a structured approach to quality assurance. Here’s an overview of how our team helped.

Key Outcomes:

Reduced number of defects

Documented, risk-aligned test strategy

Consistent, reusable testing templates and artefacts

Structured UAT and PVT cycles

The risks of an unstructured testing landscape

The ACS website plays a vital role in delivering services and information to its members. However, at the time of engagement, ACS was facing a critical challenge: two high-priority delivery streams without a formal testing structure.

The first stream focused on upgrades, which involved implementing new features, enhancements, and platform improvements to support ACS’s growth.

The second stream focused on Business as Usual (BAU), ensuring the day-to-day reliability, performance, and stability of the existing site.

Despite the business importance of both streams, there were no foundational test processes or governance structures in place. There was no formal test strategy to align testing to business goals or risk appetite, no test planning, and no regular test status reporting existed to guide decision-making. User Acceptance Testing (UAT) and Production Verification Testing (PVT) were being attempted, but they operated without standardised processes. While these activities were managed, they lacked the structure required to deliver reliable outcomes.

This limited approach left ACS exposed to significant risk. Any failure in regression testing, particularly around critical functions like payment processing, could impact revenue. Even more damaging was the risk to member trust if poor user experiences or defects made it to production.

The operating environment further amplified these risks. The ACS website carried high business impact and was subject to compliance considerations, despite minimal available requirements or acceptance criteria to guide testing. The internal quality assurance (QA) team was small, with staff dispersed across Australia, making coordination and consistency even more difficult.

Bridging the capability gap

At the core of the problem was a clear capability gap. Internal teams were stretched thin and lacked the specialist QA leadership needed to bring structure, discipline, and alignment across workstreams. There were no test managers to drive governance, no shared artefacts or templates to ensure consistency, and no process in place for embedding best practices.

Effectively, ACS needed a partner who could take ownership, implement a scalable testing framework, and uplift internal capability. That’s where Planit came in, bringing the leadership, experience, and frameworks to establish immediate stability and long-term capability.

Embedding structure and strategy

Planit responded by placing a senior Test Manager into ACS to lead, structure, and coordinate all testing activities across both BAU and upgrade streams.

Our team began by engaging with business and delivery stakeholders to understand priorities. ACS had defined a prioritisation framework, classifying tasks into P1 (critical), P2 (high), P3 (medium) and P4 (minor), which guided how our Test Manager structured delivery.

We also worked with ACS to define a test strategy aligned to their goals, project priorities, and level of acceptable risk. From there, we introduced structured test plans and templates, coordinated UAT and PVT cycles with defined ownership and approvals, and provided regular reporting to improve visibility and decision-making across the organisation.

One of our priorities was improving traceability. When mapping test cases directly to business requirements, we ensured that testing efforts were traceable, auditable, and defensible. We maintained detailed documentation in tools ACS already used (JIRA and X-Ray), giving the internal team immediate access to test data, reporting dashboards, and results at every stage.

Uplifting confidence, capability, and quality

The results were immediate and enduring. With proper test cases documented in X-Ray, and test plans being shared and executed across teams, defects were significantly reduced in production environments.

UAT and PVT processes were no longer afterthoughts. Instead, they were structured cycles with formal checkpoints, sign-offs, and clear accountability. The clarity Planit brought to the QA process improved communication between business and delivery stakeholders, while our structured reporting enabled informed decision-making across multiple levels of the organisation.

For the internal QA team, our involvement brought much-needed relief. With a growing library of reusable templates, artefacts, and best practices now embedded within ACS, the team was able to shift from firefighting to focusing on value-adding activities.

The business also reported improved confidence in digital delivery. Across multiple team meetings and one-on-one conversations throughout the 9- month engagement, stakeholders consistently called out the impact of Planit’s support and leadership.

With a solid foundation now in place, ACS is better positioned to scale its quality practices and embrace future enhancements with assurance and agility.

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Deliver Quality Quicker with Tailored QA Testing

At Planit, every quality assurance engineer and analyst on our team of consultants is ready to provide our clients with a competitive edge through the right advice, expert skills, and technical solutions necessary to ensure success for key projects. As your independent quality assurance partner, your specialist will help you gain a fresh set of eyes, an honest account of your system integration and processes, and expert solutions and recommendations for your challenges.

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Planit Global Quality Index Report 2025/26

Magda Maliszewska — Thu, 16 Oct 2025 05:56:44 +0000

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AIQualityEngineering

Planit Global Quality Index Report 2025/26

The age of intelligent quality has arrived. The 2025/26 Global Quality Index, in partnership with UiPath, captures a pivotal moment where AI, automation, and smarter skills are reshaping the future of delivery. Backed by the voices of global quality leaders, it’s your guide to delivering smarter, faster and more customer-focused outcomes in an AI age.

What’s inside this year’s report?

Harness the power of transformative quality practices to gain the competitive edge you need to stay ahead in today’s digital age.

Submit the form below to get your copy and start shaping the future of quality in your organisation.

The report spotlights the rise of AI and automation in redefining how businesses deliver at speed, maintain resilience, and keep customer trust at the centre of digital transformation. And this year, with UiPath co-sponsoring the survey, we’re combining the power of quality and automation to uncover even deeper insights.

Inside, you’ll explore:

AI and automation at the forefront
See how the rise of AI and automation is reshaping quality delivery and redefining the role of engineers.

Smarter skills and strategies
Discover the evolving skills, practices, and governance approaches that are enabling teams to keep pace with rapid transformation.

Tooling with purpose
Learn how organisations are moving from ad-hoc solutions to intelligent, enterprise-wide strategies that scale with confidence.

Future-focused investment
Find out where quality leaders are directing their focus and budgets to accelerate delivery and strengthen resilience.

Customer experience as the benchmark
Explore why delivering exceptional digital experiences continues to define what quality truly means.

Planit

5 Risks You Can’t Ignore in D.I.Y. Quality

5 Risks You Can’t Ignore in D.I.Y. Quality

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PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025 – Planit recognised as a Leader and Star Performer in Quality Engineering Specialist Services

PEAK Matrix® Assessment 2025 – Planit recognised as a Leader and Star Performer in Quality Engineering Specialist Services

Deliver Quality Quicker

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Planit & Specsavers Win Best Test Project in Retail at the European Software Testing Awards 2025

Planit & Specsavers Win Best Test Project in Retail at the European Software Testing Awards 2025

Why our project stood out

Why this win matters

Deliver Quality Quicker

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Modernising HR at Watercare

Modernising HR at Watercare

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Key Outcomes:

Driving quality across a multi-stream programme

Our approach: precision, partnership and progress

Scaling responsively to evolving needs

Delivering a quality HRIS

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Deliver Quality Quicker

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The hidden cost of building your own in-house quality function

The hidden cost of building your own in-house quality function

Why businesses choose to build their own capability

Where the model starts to strain

A smarter way to building quality

Conclusion: Capability is an asset… but only when it’s built right

Deliver Quality Quicker

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Watch On-Demand: Lessons from the Post Office Scandal – and What It Means for the AI Era

Watch On-Demand: Lessons from the Post Office Scandal – and What It Means for the AI Era

Explore the Webinar Presentation Slides

What You'll Learn:

Lee Mauger

Director, ANZ

Your Hosts:

Russell Ewart

General Manager, Central/NZ

Watch On-Demand

Watch On-Demand: The State of Quality 2025

Watch On-Demand: The State of Quality 2025

Download the Full Global Quality Index 2025/26 Report

What you'll learn

Your hosts:

Phil Johnson

General Manager - Practices & Industries

Susanne Matson

Practice Director - Customer Insight & Advisory

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The Global Quality Index 2025/2026: Highlights

The Global Quality Index 2025/2026: Highlights

The balancing act of speed and quality

How AI is changing the game

The road ahead for quality leaders

Deliver Quality Quicker

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Strengthening test governance maturity at ACS

Strengthening test governance maturity at ACS

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Key Outcomes:

The risks of an unstructured testing landscape

Bridging the capability gap

Embedding structure and strategy

Uplifting confidence, capability, and quality

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Deliver Quality Quicker with Tailored QA Testing

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Planit Global Quality Index Report 2025/26

Planit Global Quality Index Report 2025/26

What’s inside this year’s report?

Download Index