Mark suggests that these areas have been ever-present for most people within the industry for a long time, but there seems to be little structure around them. He worked with his team to come up with seven questions which should be being asked by the person at the top prior to a project going live – giving us seven areas to focus on throughout the project and ensures that nothing surprises us at the last minute.

The areas which he suggests should be focused on throughout the project to ensure stakeholders will have enough information to make a go live decisions are; functional readiness, performance, security, business readiness, operational readiness, data migration and implementation planning.

Mark shares stories where a lack of attention in these areas has caused difficulties for the project as well as tips for success. He suggests that as testing professionals we need to lift our head up and assist the project and programme manager in looking to move towards those project outcomes.

Mark encourages people not to get drawn into silos of activity, to raise your head, consider the overall project outcomes and don’t be afraid to make your voice heard if you feel that some areas are being neglected.

You can find out more details on the services which ROQ offer and learn more about these seven areas by visiting their website: www.roq.co.uk