EMC Insurance transforms and accelerates Workday testing with Kainos Smart Test
The goals
The results
“Smart Test gives us reassurance. We know when an issue arises, that it’s something we need to fix rapidly. We can really rely on Smart Test and the Kainos team. I really don't know of any other solution out there that could replace it.”
About EMC Insurance
EMC Insurance is one of the top 60 property and casualty insurers in the United States by net written premium. Founded in 1911, the company employs more than 2,200 staff in 46 states across the US, selling solely through independent insurance agencies.
Change triggers the need for robust Workday testing
EMC Insurance began their Workday journey in 2014, focusing initially on HR as part of a broader digital transformation. However, the introduction of new state taxes necessitated updates to payroll processes. Thorough testing became crucial to ensure these modifications wouldn't compromise the integrity of EMC's Workday system. Consequently, the security team intensified their emphasis on comprehensive testing across all areas - a task that called for intensive manual effort.
“Over the past five years, EMC expanded its security team, transitioning from legacy mainframe applications to more modern architecture, which elevated security expectations and prompted a search for more robust testing beyond HR and finance functions,” according to Scott Jaspers, Application Systems Manager at EMC Insurance.
Manual testing proves challenging for a lean team
Reflecting on the manual testing era, Scott said “In a large and complex organisation, the breadth of testing we required simply wasn’t achievable under the previous manual processes.”
Addressing diverse regulatory environments across multiple states was just one challenge EMC encountered. The need for a more sophisticated and automated approach also stemmed from testing complexities during the twice yearly Workday updates. Clarissa Pohlmeier, HRIS Manager, highlighted the need for meticulous line-by-line analysis to ensure consistency in processes like payroll. “The existing manual test plan lacked thoroughness, particularly in integrations and reports, making it impractical for our small testing team.”
With the aim of empowering both HR and finance teams and overcoming the constraints of bi-annual Workday updates, EMC chose Kainos Smart Test as a solution to enhance testing volume, coverage and speed.
Smart Test provides testing confidence
The deployment of Smart Test initially relieved the team from manually testing Workday Financials in 2020, encouraging further adoption across critical modules such as Workday HCM, Security, Payroll and Recruiting. The solution facilitated efficient regression testing through ready-made test packs ensuring that changes in Workday did not introduce unintended faults or conflicts.
Angela Kirby, Payroll Manager at EMC Insurance, stressed the significance of this assurance, especially in payroll processes that occur weekly, stating, “The increased testing volume became critical for maintaining confidence and detecting potential issues. We needed the comfort of knowing that nothing is falling through the cracks, and that regular, in-depth testing is taking place.”
Robust, efficient testing saves time
Smart Test significantly amplified the testing capacity of EMC’s HR and finance teams. The organisation now conducts a broader scope of full weekly tests on payroll capabilities. The value of Smart Test is most evident during biannual Workday updates, where testing time has reduced from four days per year to just two or three hours. This efficiency allows the team to explore more scenarios and conduct thorough testing, ensuring the robustness of their Workday processes.
Scott Jaspers concludes, “Smart Test gives us reassurance. We know when an issue arises, that it’s something we need to fix rapidly. We can really rely on Smart Test and the Kainos team. I really don't know of any other solution out there that could replace it.”