Case Studies
PMO Set up
We developed greater capability in CBUS’s Project Management Office.
Service Model REview
We developed a client focused service model that improved the grants process.
Automation & Transformation
Established a contemporary way of working & operating model for the Information Technology department
SAP & POS Implementation
Quality Assurance & Testing for SAP and POS implementation across Australia.
Digital Test Strategy
We oversaw and executed Quality Assurance for RACV’s rapid three month Digital Uplift Program.
Quality Assurance Partner
Multi-year contract as KPMG’s Quality Assurance, Governance and Testing partner for the ITS department.
IT & digital Strategy review
We transformed MCC into a leader in technology in the Local Government sector.
DSP Operational Transformation
Conducted an organisational excellence review to develop DSP transformation roadmap.
The client: CBUS
Construction and Building Unions Superannuation (CBUS) is one of Australia’s largest public offer industry superannuation funds. Cbus is run for the benefit of its members and does not pay dividends to shareholders.
The Brief: PMO Set up
Accuteque was engaged by CBUS to develop greater capability in the Project Management Office by implementing the recommendations from a feasibility study and executing both a Program Management Framework and a Portfolio Management Framework.
Additionally, Accuteque initiated the sourcing of an electronic project management system to increase automation ad reduce manual handling.
The Method
We helped CBUS build capability in Project Management disciplines through:
enhanced reporting
portfolio reporting at a Board level
benefits realisation tracking,
resource management and budget management.
The Result:
Leveraging our considerable expertise and internal IP, Accuteque:
enhanced the discipline around the way that project managers do their role
embedded better processes and provided support opportunities through coaching and mentoring client teams.
‘This is the expertise that you would buy in, the level of professionalism has been great; there’s a real understanding about the engagement of stakeholders and overall it’s been a really good experience.’
– Lucy Thomas, the General Manager, Project Management Office at CBUS
The client: AGL
AGL Energy Ltd is a public company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. AGL are involved in both the generation and retailing of electricity and gas for residential and commercial use. They have a legacy of over 180 years providing electricity to the Australia market.
The Brief: Automation & Transformation
Developers were under constant pressure to release new applications and features for AGL customers to consume quickly and be competitive in the industry. However they were constantly hindered in their ability to deliver in a timely manner due to workloads that buried them in process. It made it difficult to get sufficient access to the systems and tools they needed to successfully meet deadlines.
AGL engaged Accuteque to establish a contemporary way of working and operating model for the Information Technology department. Accuteque’s main role was to provide leadership to the team, providing an environment where they could innovate and challenge existing ways of working. We developed and evolved the strategy and managed and led the team of IT engineers, developers and architects. We orchestrated and managed a massive change to the organisation, ensuring timely and appropriate communications at all stages of the change.
AGL was on a fast journey to be an agile technical services organisation, embedding DevOps across the IT department to enable faster, more efficient delivery of change, with a release anytime capability. A program of work called Automation at AGL (AAA) was established. The goal was to solve the problems with the existing ‘brown-fields’ Cloud environment and the current hybrid delivery model.
A number of key issues were identified and addressed as part of the program:
- Lack of standard infrastructure deployment
- Security Configuration – arduous & time consuming
- Access Management not aligned with AGL security requirements
- Lack of logging & monitoring standards in deployments
- Lack of Cloud cost transparency
The Method:
A new approach to AAA was presented to the EGM of Information Technology and IT General Managers. A new strategy was proposed with the introduction of a Green-Fields Cloud environment which would use standard patterns and automation. This would enable the CI/CD pipeline of works and migration of both on-premise and brown-fields workloads into an ecosystem that was sustainable and efficient.
This was a high risk as AGL had spent considerable investment on the exciting Cloud environment. And, as the hypothesis of ‘what is possible’ was unknown to the leadership team, it was a courageous decision to pivot and start again.
Throughout this program the AAA team challenged key vendors such as Microsoft to think outside of the square and improve their solutions to be able to deliver the solution being proposed.
The Result:
Within the first 12 months of this program we were able to achieve the following outcomes:
- Established a Cloud platform that enforced the guardrails needed to comply to Microsoft and IT best practices through an Automation CoE
- Established a future ways of working that enabled self-service through IaC automation
- Significant IT Operational Risk reduction through operational and security uplift (guardrails, transparency & metrics)
- Instilling the DevOps mindset and operating rhythm
- Driving autonomy and accountability into the platform teams
- Removing roadblocks for the transition to L2/L3 support to in-house platform teams as part of the DevOps model
- Creating a foundation for AGL to scale their cloud migration across their entire workload to the new Cloud environment
Significant cost savings in excess of $10M were identified as the result of migration of workloads to the new AAA platform.
AGL continues to migrate applications to the cloud and has shared their goal of moving “almost all computing” to Azure by 2022. See the IT News article here.
The client: RACV
The Royal Automobile Club of Victoria (RACV) is a motoring club and mutual organisation which provides its members with a range of products and services in the areas of motoring and mobility, home, leisure, financial services and general insurance.
The Brief: Quality Assurance & Digital Test Strategy for AEM
RACV were undertaking a rapid 3-month Digital Uplift Program that required them to spin up four feature teams to deliver value into Production, in fortnightly iterations.
Accuteque were asked to provide Quality Assurance ownership for this Program which required resourcing of seven QA team members to provide support to the Feature Teams (two team members in three teams, and one team member in one team), in addition to a Program Test Manager to provide the overall Quality and Testing Strategy for this Program, and govern the quality of delivery.
The Method:
Whilst Accuteque were responsible for the quality of delivery through testing for the four streams of work within the Program, there was still a BAU operational stream also integrating and releasing AEM code into the same code base.
Accuteque were required to provide oversight, governance and assurance activities at a holistic release level, above and beyond the needs of the Program, and work with an offshore Vendor to assist in delivery at a release level.
The resources provided by Accuteque were all flexible and adaptable to the roles required of them throughout the Program at a stream delivery level, and at an integrated code release level.
The team members assured cross-stream collaboration and conversations to assure that anything they were delivering from their workstream, would not have impacts to the other workstreams.
With many of the Accuteque team having worked together before, it allowed them to collaborate more readily then if they were individual test consultants working on the Program. With Program Quality and Test Governance being provided by the Principal of Quality Assurance for Accuteque, there was senior ownership of the quality of the outcomes and delivery.
The Result:
Accuteque were able to support the Q4 Program to be successful and deliver fortnightly quality releases into Production.
There were no Production issues as a result of the fortnightly releases, which shows the quality of the testing and governance framework put in place by Accuteque.
The Automation Proof of Concept covered 5 Critical forms on the RACV website (out of 300). Automation of the 5 forms for regression testing saved RACV, assuming 1 regression run in each environment of Test, Stage and Production, approximately 15 minutes per fortnight.
The Proof of Concept was completed successfully and provided RACV with a regression test framework they continue to use to automate additional website critical items.
The following items were delivered by Accuteque in the Program:
- Review Program Scope and make recommendation on Resource Profile required to deliver
- Digital Quality and Test Strategy
- Manual Test Cases
- Test Execution
- Automation Framework and Proof of Concept for AEM Regression Testing
- Defect Management
- Test Summary Reports
- Templates within Confluence for the above documents
- Quality Governance of the Program
The client: Manningham City Council
Manningham City Council (MCC), based on the northern fringe of Melbourne, delivers over 100 different services to a community with a unique blend of city and country.
The Brief: IT & Digital Test Strategy Review
A new CEO of MCC had taken the pulse of the council and had identified systems operating in isolation, overarching bureaucracy and lack of management information.
The drivers for change included cost containment, improved frontline service, increased efficiency and increased leadership capability. The new CEO also identified a need for increased support for the CEO role to enable more external facing work to take place.
The Method:
Accuteque was engaged to assess the alignment of the IT and Digital Communication strategies in conjunction with the 5 Year Council Plan.
As part of this work we undertook a situation analysis to understand the status quo and then facilitated strategic planning workshops to define objectives and actions to deliver on the program.
We also completed an IT Health-check for MCC in relation to the new IT and Digital Strategy.
This engagement was aimed to focus on the foundations of the IT and Digital Communications Service Unit offerings and examine how the two could align plans, processes, skills and services in order to deliver on MCC’s overall technology strategy and Council Plan.
The Result:
The Accuteque team facilitated collaborative strategy sessions to create a shared vision, organisational strategy and common goals.
We recommended establishing a shared services framework and culture to deliver excellence in customer service and meet the organisational strategy.
The Health Check also identified an number of areas for improvement and we developed a roadmap and go to market strategy for end of life technology.
A key recommendation was the establishment of a Project Management Office to provide guardrails and better support the implementation of the roadmap. Accuteque helped to establish the PMO and MCC went on to deliver on the roadmap and today is considered a leader in technology in the Local Government sector.
The client: Australia Council for the Arts
The Australia Council for the Arts, is the Australian Government’s arts funding and advisory body. Their focus is on increasing the visibility of Australia’s vibrant arts and culture, and recognising the evolving way that Australians make and experience art. A core activity for the Council is the delivery of significant grant funding for Australian arts organisations and artists.
The Brief: Service Model Review
Following the implementation of a simplified grant allocation across all art forms in 2015, it was time to review the grants process. It was critical to determine how a service model focused on the needs of artists and arts organisations across multiple disciplines could support the successful transition to a simplified grants program and enhance the reputation of the organisation.
Accuteque was involved in a Client Service Model Project whose purpose was to recommend process improvements in support of a Client Service Model for handling grant applications.
The Method:
The Project was undertaken in three stages:
- Literature review – key attributes and elements of client focused service delivery, best practice in grants management and varying models of grants management.
- Stakeholder consultation – views of staff, artists and art organisations on the current approach by Australia Council to servicing potential and existing grant applicants; strengths of current grant management processes; and opportunities for improvement of current grant management processes.
- Model development – current grants management processes, process improvements and characteristics of a client focused service model for the Australia Council.
Key areas were identified in the new design of a contemporary client focused service model that improved the grants process.
The Result:
Accuteque worked with the team to develop a change approach that strongly engaged staff in implementation of the model. Accuteque facilitated a process whereby staff and management worked together to develop new ‘rules of engagement’ that embodied the vision for a contemporary client service model.
Throughout, Accuteque has supported the change process by remaining open to making changes to the project brief and training and development program as our joint thinking has evolved, asking questions and providing advice at key points and working as a partner rather than just an expert.
The client: BP Australia
BP in Australia is focused on advancing the role of Australian resources in meeting the region’s demand for significantly more energy with fewer emissions. bp employ around 5,200 employees and long-term contractors across Australia. Their operations are in every state and territory in Australia, including main offices in Perth and Melbourne.
The Brief: SAP & POS Implementation
This program was the implementation of SAP and Retalix (POS) across Australia and New Zealand, forming the global template for BP Global. Accuteque were engaged as the local Quality Assurance and Testing organisation to undertake functional, integration, business process testing, operational readiness testing, deployment testing and user acceptance testing.
The Method:
Accuteque worked alongside IBM and Accenture who were the solution partners, having oversight from a Quality Assurance perspective on both firms’ deliverables.
The Result:
his implementation included the delivery of: SAP Merchandising, SAP Financials, SAP Business Warehousing, SAP HR/Payroll & Retalix POS.
It involved traditional delivery methodologies and, across the $4m life of the project, delivered both Manual and automated testing services.
The client: KPMG
KPMG is a global network of professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. They operate in 147 countries and territories and have more than 219,000 people working in member firms around the world.
The Brief: Setting a Standard of Quality
Accuteque have had a lengthy relationship with KPMG across a number of departments. This relationship commenced in June 2009, when Accuteque was awarded the outsourcing role as the Quality Assurance, Governance and Testing partner for the KPMG ITS department. Throughout our tenure, Accuteque has delivered a Testing Framework for the Application Support department that included the core solutions, SAP, BW & BO and the supporting solutions throughout the firm (Global Desktops, MS Exchange, VoIP, Office Communicator, eAudit solutions, WEB, Intranet etc.)
Accuteque provided production support, project support and strategic support to the ITS executive and senior management team.
In addition to undertaking the QA and Testing, Accuteque also implemented an internal PMO for the KPMG ITS department, implementing standards, tools, policies and processes to manage the pipeline of work and control expenditure.
Senior Accuteque personnel were requested to provide ad-hoc support across the SAP BW department when KPMG Team Leads were not available.
KPMG Global SAP Rollout:
KPMG Global
KPMG’s Global SAP template rollout was their major initiative to get all KPMG practices around the world onto the same platform so they are able to conduct business with any client in a consistent manner. This took effect from their initial contact with a potential client right through to invoicing and collection of payment once converted to a client and an engagement was completed.
Accuteque was engaged to provide Quality Assurance, Testing and Governance across the implementation of a multi-country (Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam) parallel roll out. Accuteque worked in collaboration with Tata Consultancy Services working throughout India, America and Singapore. As part of this role the Test Strategy and Direction was developed to align resources across the world. All test phases were managed from Functional Testing through to UAT followed by Business Verification/Production Verification Testing.
This engagement included the up-skilling of the Business Teams to conduct User Acceptance Testing. A UAT training pack was developed prior to testing efforts kicking off to help assist with the smooth execution of this test phase.
KPMG ITA SME Consulting Partner:
KPMG ITA
Accuteque’s relationship with KPMG most recently has extended through to its IT Advisory team, working with the KPMG ITA team as SME consulting partner to provide advisory services for the Automation Test Tooling Capability Uplift – Department of Defence Project.
Accuteque’s role on this project was to:
- Conduct an audit of Automation Test Tool capability, utilisation and effectiveness
- Outline recommendations for capability uplift
- Tailor a roadmap for implementation of recommendations for implementation
The client: NAB
National Australia Bank (NAB) is one of the four largest financial institutions in Australia in terms of market capitalisation, earnings and customers. Data Services and Platforms (DS&P) is responsible for engaging with customer facing divisions and delivering the data, technology and services to support NAB’s Enterprise Data Strategy.
The Brief: DSP Operational Transformation
With a new GM and a new leadership team, NAB DS&P were keen to understand whether the current operating model (including culture and behaviours) would be sustainable and would support NAB’s current and future strategic direction.
There was an overarching desire to remain relevant in a market where data trends were continually changing; and a need to remain ahead of the game.
The Method:
The team worked from a People First perspective collaborating with the leadership team to evolve and fashion an operating model and rhythm that worked for them and their teams.
We applied our own values of empowerment, transparency and collaboration to demonstrate a different way of thinking; developing an operating model that gave DS&P people hope for a brighter future.
Early on we identified that people had a history of changes being done to the teams. So, we engineered an approach that allowed us to co-create with key and business stakeholders to ensure buy in and sustainability.
We adopted an iterative test and learn approach that created a safe place for employees to share their concerns and blockers and facilitated deep dive sessions with representatives across DS&P to get a broad diversity of thought and suggestions for unlocking value and potential.
The Result:
Accuteque’s task was to complete an evaluation and provide a recommendation for the future. This resulted in DS&P undergoing an operational and organisational transformation from a traditional to a contemporary model.
Modern frameworks were introduced, and new behaviours and ways of working were incorporated into the day to day operations of the team.
DS&P has reimagined itself implementing the proposed operating model focusing on an alignment to value streams as well as clear service functions to support the delivery of business value.
