The Client: A leading provider of diagnostic testing services.

The Problem: Before Rulesware was called in to help, the client knew it had a problem: it was struggling with effectively and consistently managing its test data, one of its most valuable assets. Scientists and lab professionals would devote their time to working with tests and producing critical data, but because there was no one standard, effective way to store or transfer the data to others in the organization, internal teams used a combination of Excel spreadsheets, email, and mixed software to transfer the critical information.

What this meant, of course, was that information got lost. There was no formal way for tracking changes or approvals to tests or diagnostic data, and there was no clear visibility on the status of any tests. There was also no one way to prioritize tests, often resulting in high-priority tests being delayed by less important requirements. The end result was re-work, and significant revenue loss for the client.

Rulesware’s Approach: The client understood that what was required was a process evaluation and improvement. And since the client already implemented and used Pega’s PRPC successfully to improve company billing processes, they decided that Pega could be put to use for their test requests and test change requests. They contacted Pega to address this process issue. Pega then invited Rulesware to help complete this new project to standardize their test process.

Pre-Work: Rulesware’s first order of business was to clarify our understanding of the existing process, and to ensure that we were working in full partnership with the client. To that end, Rulesware Delivery Manager Steve Park and VP Marshall Shovein spent two weeks on a ‘pre-inception phase’ of the project, clarifying existing processes and desired solutions with the client stakeholders, and ensuring that Rulesware and the client were clear on exactly what we were recommending, how we were going to approach the problem, and what the scope and timelines were.

Robert Martin, Delivery Manager on the project, attributes the project’s ultimate success to this ‘pre-work.’

“Steve and Marsh did an incredible job not only to work with the client to understand the processes they wanted to improve, but also to discuss and familiarize the client with the process of the Pega implementation for smart BPM. It amounted to a whole lot of pre-work to define current state, processes and sub processes, and I think it led to an extremely successful project.”

What it meant, Martin further notes, was that when his implementation team arrived for elaboration, “The client fully understood how this was going to go. They didn’t argue. And that was was critical–you don’t, after all, want to have disagreements about your methodology with the customer in mid-project.”

He adds that with the process and sub process defined from the start, Rulesware’s Business Architect, Aaron Lee, was able to begin asking clarifying questions immediately, and updating the DCO with resulting information..

95% Guardrails Compliance

Another key approach taken by Rulesware was to deliver a customized solution that perfectly met the client’s needs while using as much ‘out of the box’ Pega as possible, in the interest of minimizing custom work on future upgrades, and ultimately saving the client money and downtime further down the road.

And indeed we did. Thanks to our deep understanding of existing and desired client processes, LSA Suleman Qureshi was able to quickly go in and understand what the client wished to accomplish, and deliver that solution while maintaining a Guardrails compliance score of 95%.

The Results: Within 15 weeks, Rulesware and the client worked together in a team effort to deliver a customized solution, coming in under budget and on time.

The client now has a streamlined process for handling test requests and test change requests, resulting in:

• increased accuracy
• shorter entry time and cost to market
• shorter time and cost to market
• greater ease of use for team members

It’s a customized solution that serves the client’s specific needs, but that also adheres to Pega standards, minimizing the client’s needs for custom work in the future.

And from the perspective of the people using it–primarily the professionals managing the tests–there’s now an easy-to-use tool to run tests, to enter results, and to view the status of tests and results; anyone can simply go to PRPC to see it all. Managers can manage workarounds, too, so that if someone goes on vacation they can assign a test or project to someone else in the organization.

Ultimately, the client now has access to a dynamic workflow that essentially replaces all of their manual processes, and a tool that will be used for years to come.