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The Importance of Innovation
This PDF from MIS Quarterly Executive examines the challenge, innovation, and result of CIO Steve Heilenman and his team at Computer Aid, Inc. As the article explains, Heilenman was faced with challenges around software testing; which included manual testing, inconsistent testing techniques, and resolutions that took time to put in place. The CIO and his team attempted to automate a software testing solution in the past, but with limited success. However, during a weekly “Innovation Friday” meeting, a better solution came into focus:
When the subject of testing software came up, one participant suggested that an open source testing product designed to test web-based applications (Selenium) could be adapted for more comprehensive test automation. With the CIO’s encouragement, a customized interface was then built with this third party product, which was able to drastically simplify the test automation process. In addition to introducing the new tool, they re-engineered the testing process itself, creating or converting test scripts, integrating automated testing into the development methodology, tracking results, and incorporating ongoing enhancement upgrades.
The result of the initiative were great: Heilenman now had a simplified process which only took one month to develop and implement. Furthermore the testing cycle improved consistency of the software testing across the team. According to Heilenman, testing costs are currently reduced by 75%.
The importance of innovation by Heilenman as the CIO of Computer Aid, Inc. allowed for a perfect solution to be found to a problem that plagues many organizations. Through empowering his team and promoting a consistent message of investigation, problem solving, and creative thinking, companies can replicate CAI’s success.
Dear Matthew Kabik
Pardon my naivete but I write this from India and would like to bring a few points to your attention:
a. Using open-source tools is frowned upon in many high security IT shops (which are many). That being the case are we sure using open source tools – many of them inadequately tested, one may add is a good idea at all?
b) They took an open-source tool, customized, re-oriented their processes. Now is this innovation? What was new in it?
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Is this not improvisation? Are the definitions of innovation getting blurred? Are we confusing getting solutions to problems with minimal creativity itself constitutes innovation. While innovation through the ages has meant a leap of faith, or distance, if you will in terms of significant changes in thinking, technology or process.; In their case, I darseay they had to change the process because the tool had a certain process requirement ( now this is like changing the foot to suit the shoe
I am not being cynical but I am questioning and certainly so, what passes for innovation these days.
regards
Swami
IT/ Process Quality Professional for many more years than I wish to remember.
Madras (Chennai)
India
First, congratulations to CIO Steve Heilenman encouraging innovation and creative problem solving with his team. Too many times these ideas are squelched. Although Swami points out security issues I’m assuming a company like CAI has covered those bases.
Heileman can save even more time and money on testing and the whole life cycle by involving testers even earlier as part of a Formal Inspection Team as requirements are gathered. The process has been used in many companies for decades and forms the basis for the CMMI peer review. Why? Over half of all defects arise in requirements and finding them at the source is 25 – 50 times cheaper than testing and 100 – 1000 times cheaper than having customers find them. There is lots of literature proving all this. With one of my clients, they added 30 hours to requirements and eliminated 300 hours from testing. 10 – 1 ratios are not that uncommon.
Continue along your innovative path — we need more CIOs like you.
@Swami. I agree with Rebecca that Steve Heilenman should be congratulated on taking steps towards innovation, although a small one. Innovative companies like Apple and Google are innovative because they have built innovation into their entire enterprise culture. Making a dramatic product or service shift relative to competitors with a huge and risky leap of faith does not happen without the supporting culture. Most all companies are not there. That’s why there are so few game-changing firms. However, if CAI’s CEO and the corporate board wants to move in that direction, then my hat’s off to their CIO for taking the steps to encourage and reward innovation at all levels. Their testing solution is not going to make a dent in the corporate’s market position, but I can expect the testing engineer who made the change is feeling tremendously innovative in his daily work. That’s where the power source can begin.