Problem

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the largest nursing union and professional trade body in the world. Operating across the UK and influencing crucial policies, RCN supports its half a million members with legal counsel, career advancement, and more. 

Matthew Mills, QA and Test Manager at RCN, shoulders the responsibility of upholding software integrity on their customer facing website and two Microsoft Dynamics 365 platforms that serve RCN's members. Mills’ team is responsible for testing the platforms whenever new updates are introduced.

The absence of a comprehensive testing solution put at risk RCN's mission to help members navigate their careers, from student to retirement status. The potential fallout ranged from incorrect payments to failed membership logins, tarnishing reputation, finances, and membership experiences. The daunting task of performing regression testing on 1000 varied test scripts every three weeks was eating away precious time.

“It took a huge amount of time to do regression testing. So it was quite a simple business case. We either spend a lot of money on employing a lot of people, or we look at what opportunities there are to bring automation in.” - Matthew Mills, QA and Test Manager at RCN Challenge

Solution

The tide turned when RCN embraced automation to overcome these challenges. They saw how their shift to an agile development process could be hampered by the QA team's capacity to test within short sprints.

To tackle this and avoid bottlenecks, automation became the rational solution. The transition to agile was not merely about improving member experiences but also fostering employee engagement and timely project realization.

“It was also a way of winning and keeping hearts and minds in the business.” - Matthew Mills, QA and Test Manager at RCN

Leapwork emerged as the perfect candidate to fulfill RCN's prerequisites: user-friendliness, compatibility with web and D365 systems, and robust support.

“Leapwork was pretty much the only one that hit all of the criteria.” - Matthew Mills, QA and Test Manager at RCN

All of Mills’ team came from within the RCN organization without any formal testing experience. But they were all power users on the processes and systems, so Mills wanted to empower them to test. Mills saw how his team went from slight skepticism based on previous experience to getting highly involved and enthusiastic about the efficiencies Leapwork could create.

“We didn't expect Leapwork to know about the intricacies of our own systems, but the amount of support we got was fantastic. It gave us confidence in Leapwork - they’re a partner for the long term.” - Matthew Mills, QA and Test Manager at RCN

This shift in approach wasn't just a means to an end but a way to unite teams and invigorate the organization's culture.

Impact

Leapwork's introduction revolutionized RCN's testing landscape. Testing efficiency improved as RCN reduced testing time, enhanced coverage, and expedited feedback loops. Collaboration between teams improved significantly, breaking down silos and fostering cross-functional cooperation. RCN gained the power to identify hidden bugs early, averting potential membership access problems. While a quantitative reduction in bugs can't be guaranteed, the tool uncovered issues that could have caused considerable disruptions post-launch.

“Every morning we run a series of tests with Leapwork against a test version of our website and it has found bugs that no one knew had sneaked through.” - Matthew Mills, QA and Test Manager at RCN

The endorsement of Leapwork by RCN hinged on two pivotal factors. Firstly, the ease of use – it demonstrated that automation didn't necessitate programming skills, making it accessible to all. 

Secondly, the exceptional support provided by Leapwork further solidified RCN's trust. Leapwork's collaborative approach resonated positively, underlining the partnership's value.

“Everyone in Leapwork that we've had contact with has been really engaging, really warm, really supportive, really willing to work with us. It's been a pleasure to deal with everyone we've come across.” - Matthew Mills, QA and Test Manager at RCN

As RCN continues to integrate Leapwork, they anticipate expanding its usage to drive additional efficiencies. Plans include training more staff to leverage the tool's capabilities, ensuring sustained growth from within the organization. In a nutshell, Leapwork's essence could be distilled into three words: Automation made simple.

In embracing automation, RCN transcended its testing limitations, ushering in a new era of efficiency, collaboration, and member satisfaction. This transformation underscores the potential of technology to drive positive change, cementing RCN's position as a pioneering force within the nursing community.