Skip to main content
 
us

  • Increase Speed to Market
    Deliver quality quicker by optimising your delivery pipeline, removing bottlenecks, getting faster feedback from customers and iterating quickly.

  • Enhance Customer Experience
    Delight your customers in every digital interaction by optimising system quality and performance to provide a smooth, speedy and seamless user experience.

  • Maximise Your Investment
    Realise a positive ROI sooner and maximise your investment by focusing your energy on high-value features, reducing waste, and finding and fixing defects early.
  • The Wellington City Council (WCC) wanted to deliver quality outcomes without breaking the bank. Find out how Planit’s fast and flexible resources helped WCC achieve this goal.

this is a test Who We Are Landing Page


INSIGHTS / Case Studies

AMP Case Study – A Trusted Partnership

 26 Sep 2017 
AMP Case Study –  A Trusted Partnership AMP Case Study –  A Trusted Partnership
AMP Case Study –  A Trusted Partnership
INSIGHTS / Case Studies

AMP Case Study – A Trusted Partnership

 26 Sep 2017 

How AMP used our testing to realise accelerated delivery, increased product quality, and an improved customer experience.

Background

AMP is a leading life insurer and retirement savings provider in Australia and New Zealand, helping more than four million customers by providing quality financial advice and services. Beginning in the mid-1800s, AMP has grown into a highly efficient, large-scale organisation, providing their customers with financial advice and security.

As one of New Zealand’s most enduring companies, AMP has continually and successfully evolved to ensure customers remain their priority. Applications & Test Delivery Manager, Sid Holmes, joined AMP New Zealand to plan and manage major projects associated with the company’s continued compliance with the Financial Markets Conduct Act of 2013.

Solution

“As part of this effort, we engaged in a large scale upgrade project for one of our wealth management systems and related products. This was a brand new piece of work and we needed more staff. 

“Some people from Planit were already at AMP when I joined, so I was exposed to their work and was impressed. I became familiar with Planit as a result, and the team we had presented solidly, were well trained and well suited to us which is very important to me. We took on a mix of seniors and juniors who totally supported each other and together were working in our best interests. They were a great team! 

A reliable partner and advisor

“As a result of this project, I have a lot of confidence in the people Planit provide. There’s a basis of teamwork that runs through them all. I have a great relationship with Planit’s local director, because he works with me. It’s an engagement where we meet every two weeks so he knows what I need and can respond responsibly and sensibly. I value the trusted relationship we have with Planit.   

“We trust each other and the team dynamics between Planit and AMP people are excellent. For example, we’ve had one Planit person who’s stayed with us the whole time, and she’s grown considerably in the role.

“The benefits to us in having Planit on board include:

  • Process and test methodology. They leave their mark! The provided documentation and new learning was a considerable value add.
  • Optimised use of tools like Jira. We use it prolifically now, which saves us considerable time. Our BAs also bought into Jira, rendering time-consuming spreadsheets obsolete. We now use Jira to communicate with development vendors, which speeds up the defect process and makes it transparent and more effective to us, as well as to our customers and stakeholders.
  • Modelling. Planit brought excellent modelling to my team, who both enjoy and benefit from the learning.
  • Heightened visibility. Planit provides weekly reporting on the status of the project, which includes defect status graphs that indicate where we are and where we should be. There’s also daily reporting on status during in test phase, with everything max 24 hours behind at any time.
  • Risk management training. This is of great benefit to us.
  • Accelerated delivery. We were doing a collaborative project with our Australian counterparts and Planit provided the staff. It was an exceptional engagement and Planit were instrumental in the success. They totally embraced the problem and nothing was too much trouble for them.
  • Improved customer experience. Planit’s contribution to improved customer experience occurs as a result of their commitment to the testing process, and the knowledge transfer my staff receive and continue to practice.
  • Quality the Planit way. The addition of rigorous questioning by Planit people showed our team the benefit of questioning to increase product quality.
  • Continuous improvement. Planit is proactive in their approach; they work to upskill our staff, not just testers but application support people as well. They provide new views and broader thinking.  Feedback from my team is consistently positive.

We want to add value too, so I provide Planit with half yearly reports or project-based reports detailing their performance. It’s win-win when our vendor appreciates our feedback and acts on it.

“I’ve watched Planit over the last few years and seen they are growing to meet the needs of their customers. They constantly look at their market and make sure their customers are getting current, well-skilled people.

“I feel like a valued customer because my needs are met and that allows me to ensure AMP gets the best. Planit provides me with the best fit and it’s a true partnership across the whole team."

Sid Holmes
Applications & Test Delivery Manager, AMP

“I’m not interested in hiring a body shop. With Planit, I’ve gained a group of skilled people who contribute their skills to us and each other, and they value both the company they work for and us as their customer. It’s collaborative and their operation is genuinely partnership-based, and that’s excellent in my view.

“I’m in the process of hiring again and I need the best possible people, so Planit is my “go to” solution.”

Sid Holmes
Applications & Test Delivery Manager
AMP
Wellington, New Zealand

Key Outcomes:
  • Better process and test methodology from detailed documentation and shared learnings.
  • Improved defect management process from replacing spreadsheets with Atlassian Jira.
  • Heightened visibility from daily reporting on the test phase and weekly reporting on project status.
  • Accelerated delivery in collaborative projects between Australian and New Zealand teams.
  • Improved customer experience from increased product quality.

Delivered:
  • Testing & QA
  • Staff Augmentation
Download Full Case Study

Deliver Quality Quicker

At Planit, we give our clients a competitive edge by providing them with the right advice, expert skills, and technical solutions they need to assure success for their key projects. As your independent quality partner, you gain a fresh set of eyes, an honest account of your systems and processes, and expert solutions and recommendations for your challenges.
 
Find out how we can help you get the most out of your digital platforms and core business systems to deliver quality quicker.

 

Find out more