Health is in our hands – how outsourcing of Sii Poland testing services improves the work of the healthcare sector

A marked increase in demand for medical services poses growing challenges for the healthcare industry. They mainly stem from the need to respond immediately to sudden and often unpredictable threats. Recently, technology has started playing a strategic role, making the fight for human life much more dynamic. Therefore, an essential task for the providers of modern solutions is to maintain the highest quality, ensuring patients’ safety. With a number of projects carried out in cooperation with medical sector leaders, Sii offers comprehensive testing services dedicated to the healthcare, pharma and life sciences industry.

Technological concerns of the healthcare sector

Many organizations in the medical sector are now facing a dilemma – to create a software house from scratch, within their structure or to rely on the expertise and experience of external IT services providers? One of the most important elements in the software development process, which is worth paying particular attention to when making decisions, is testing. An effective unit performing tests for the Healthcare and Life Sciences industries must be able to implement their solutions while also staying up to date with the latest technological trends such as Continuous Testing which allows the optimal use of Agile and DevOps methodologies. On the other hand, it should also operate in accordance with GxP, CSV (Computerized System Validation) and numerous regulations introduced on a regular basis. Other characteristics of the sector are the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) guidelines, which can significantly extend the time of testing activities.

Broad specialist expertise and many years of experience

A testing services provider for the medical sector is required to understand both the business and technical aspects of this industry. Also, knowledge of the tools used by the client (e.g. PharmaSuite, TrackWise or MES) and restrictions on the development and implementation of IT systems is not without significance. However, the area of specialization of in-house departments remains extremely narrow and their projects are very much alike. For economic reasons, it is also impossible to rebuild teams regularly, making the consistent development of competences difficult.

As the largest technology consulting, digital transformation, BPO and engineering services provider in Poland, Sii has been carrying out projects of global medical industry leaders continuously since 2007. The Sii team is involved in the entire systems development life cycle – from business analysis through testing and validation to maintenance. Over 500 Healthcare experts have a thorough knowledge of systems supporting key business processes, including those in areas such as Manufacturing, Quality and Pharmacovigilance/Drug Safety. GxP and formal CSV requirements are always taken into account at the Healthcare-project planning stage. Sii also boasts several years of experience in digitizing test processes, implementing and validating testing tools and using dedicated ones. Partnerships with providers of modern test automation solutions, including Tricentis, allow optimization of the offered services.

End-to-end equals all in one place

One of the main reasons for outsourcing are comprehensive services that internal departments cannot provide. More and more frequently, Healthcare clients want their processes to be end-to-end. In practice, this means taking into account all of their aspects, including test coverage and its placement in the CSV process (IQ, OQ, PQ), which entails the validation of the testing tools.

This is exactly the approach used by Sii taking care of the full life cycle of IT systems. The Testing Competency Center team offers support in the area of testing and validation. – The services we provide cover all kinds of tests, including functional, non-functional, performance and safety tests – explains Leszek Ćwil, Delivery Manager at Sii. – Sii experts also carry out audits of the testing process in projects and control the validation process of IT systems – he adds.

Highest quality standards

Entities providing IT services to the Healthcare, Pharma and Life Sciences sectors have a huge responsibility – human health and even life can depend on the quality of their solutions. That is why they should attach the utmost importance to the continuous improvement of their services through the use of IT best practices.

At Sii, dedicated testing teams work based on the ITIL methodology and knowledge retention. Within the framework of projects for the medical industry, Sii specialists created and have been maintaining a knowledge base including key information about testing services in projects subject to the CSV process. This allows quick onboarding of new specialists and thus reduces the time needed to complete work. From the very beginning, Sii has met the highest quality standards and has invested in the development of its workers, which is confirmed by the fact that as many as 95% of testing specialists and analysts hold the international ISTQB certificate.

Increased efficiency through digitization of processes

Another element to be considered when making a decision to outsource a part of the SDLC process is the possibility of optimizing the project team’s operations. The supplier should be able to propose and implement IT solutions supporting the provided services, reducing the workload associated with, for example, the creation and acceptance of documentation, at the same time taking into account regulations for the medical or pharmaceutical sector.

Sii offers modern tools that meet strict requirements set for systems implemented by companies operating in the healthcare industry. They prove invaluable in the case of both testing processes – from test planning through test coverage providing and recording to test performance and defects handling – and the management of electronic project documentation, supporting the electronic signature procedure.

Automation for risk minimization

Providing the highest quality tools, supporting Agile methodologies in their development process and ensuring compliance with the DevOps process require test automation. Continuous testing, as it is referred to, allows you to assess the business risks associated with the release of software as quickly as possible. This means that the choice of automation solutions can determine the direction and outcome of the Healthcare project.

Following the latest trends as well as knowing the tools supporting the Continuous Testing process and having long experience in their implementation, Sii experts are able to minimize even serious risks, at the same time decreasing the number of tests carried out. This leads to a substantial reduction in software testing costs. – Our implementations bring tangible benefits – says Mirosław Rozpara, Account Director at Sii. – For example, we built a team of testers and programmers for the Swiss pharmaceutical company within two days. Their task was to adapt one of the existing web applications to support research on a drug for COVID-19. The same team prepared a dedicated version of the application for iOS, and that happened within two weeks! – he explains.

As a solid provider of testing services, Sii carries out projects of many other Polish and international medical industry leaders. Among them are Qiagen, Baush Health, Reckitt Benckiser and Fresenius. If you would also like to use the knowledge and experience of our experts, get acquainted with Sii’s offer for the Healthcare sector and fill out a short contact form.

Read also how our engineers together with QIAGEN change the face of biotechnology.