Software testing is nothing new. Insurance enterprises have longknown the benefits.

As new technologies like mobile are used and the need foragility and speed rises, so does the need for new testingtechniques; otherwise testing will hold implementations andorganizations back. 

Just as today's systems are modernizing, new testing methods andtools are rapidly advancing the quality and speed of developmentand implementation.

To assess the current state of testing and re-assess the needfor insurance-specific testing, Majesco recently reviewed moderntesting processes. What they found makes a logical case forenterprise-wide testing modernization. It begins with anunderstanding about how today's systems will need a different kindof testing.

Moving from static to dynamic

Modernization holds promise for better insurer efficiency,greater capability and improved agility, but it doesn't mean aninsurer will lose the need for Quality Assurance (QA). Consider howrigid systems made tests somewhat easy and often reusable. Today'smodern systems are far from rigid.

Insurers need to have core systems that will be able to addcapabilities, new products, workflows and more throughconfiguration. They will need an overall approach to system qualitythat will allow for continuous updates.

Robustness and stability will need to be tested to bolster QA,but a whole new world of testing will arise to cover the varioussoftware areas that will be added to the enterprise. Not only willtesting needs grow, but also a dynamic framework for understandingenterprise-wide testing will be mandatory.

Minimizing risk

Ironically, less effective testing on rigid systems has heldmany organizations back from beginning or completing transformationprograms. They are worried about the risks involved intransformation and their inability to have clarity aroundoperations, development, migration and the investmentsinvolved.

In order to protect their assets, insurers are realizing thattransformation investments must be insured against operation riskby maintaining a well-designed QA process. As they learn about thetesting that will protect them, three key components are coming tolight:

• Previously tried and true approaches are no longer bestpractices in testing. (For example, the Waterfall approach todevelopment and testing will no longer provide the resultsneeded.)
• A single testing partner with a framework and methodology anddomain expertise is vital.
• The end goal is to employ a single platform that works with avariety of approaches and tools in a way that enables agility andspeed.

Reaping the benefits

As digital enhancements grow and system touchpoints and channelsare on the rise, test types are also becoming broader. Manualtesting is still needed. Automated testing is more frequentlyemployed. Performance testing and digital testing are moreimportant than ever. To cover all of them, insurers need anautomation framework that is structured, simplified andprocess-based. They need a system that "learns" and one thatprovides long-term efficiency by allowing for the repeatability oftests while increasing the speed with which tests can beexecuted.

Related: Insurers face several challenges when it comes toinnovation

A modern testing framework will give insurers prompt developerfeedback and it will support agile development. Testers will havethe capability to build automation in parallel to applicationdevelopment. It will give users the ability to conduct continuousand recurring regression tests. Business analysts will be able toget more involved in testing. Scriptless automation techniques willprovide business users with their own test automation capabilities.These are just a few of the ways that a modern testing platformwill bring insurers into the future and give them a competitiveedge.

To dig more deeply into the benefits of expert testing in thetransformation process and beyond, download Majesco'srecently-released white paper, Putting Insurance Testing to theTest.  In addition to Majesco's testing overview,supplemented with industry perspectives from the research firmNovarica, readers will find a valuable example of an agile-friendlytest automation approach as well as a helpful list of distinctservice elements that should be taken into consideration whenpicking an IT testing partner.

Dan Mets is the vice president of consulting forMorristown, New Jersey-based Majesco Consulting.Connect with him on LinkedIn. Opinionsexpressed in this article are the author'sown.