How can an international IT project be implemented during coronavirus pandemic? How can the difficulties caused by quarantine and other restrictions be overcome? In this article, we describe our experience during the performance testing project of Bulgarian DSK Bank.
The global coronavirus epidemic, is having a noticeable impact on international markets. Its uniqueness is that, unlike, for example, H5N1, this epidemic affects all countries and almost all operators. It is worthwhile to consciously and flexibly adapt the operation of companies to the changed market environment, as uncertainty is currently the only sure point. There is no doubt that international IT projects also need to adapt to changed circumstances, as the constraints caused by a worldwide pandemic can be a part of our lives for a long time.
Despite pandemic, world economy must continue to operate, so even if it needs more work and difficulty, but companies must make IT improvements and modifications that have already begun or are urgent, which are essential for efficient operation.
As we wrote in one of our previous article, coronavirus epidemic has accelerated digital transformation in many industries, resulting in the development of enterprise digital information and communication technologies becoming a critical factor in the intensifying competition due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The introduction of more efficient IT systems does not tolerate delays in many industries either, delaying them could have serious disadvantages for companies in the long run.
Of course, it is often not possible to interrupt or postpone critical organizational processes that began before 2020, even in the case of international IT projects. All this means that even in difficult circumstances, you have to start IT projects and carry out the planned improvements.
The transformation of IT systems at Bulgaria's leading financial institution, DSK Bank, also became necessary at the very beginning of the coronavirus epidemic. Due to the recently completed banking acquisition, DSK Bank, a member of OTP Group, has expanded by about 30 percent, and the load on the bank's systems has increased by 30-60 percent compared to previous expectations. Bank executives saw a need to test the systems with performance tests before completing the migration, to pre-model the operation of the system during the expected extreme load in the first days after migration. Thus, DSK Bank was forced to start the performance measurement project in the most uncertain phase of coronavirus epidemic, in addition to international actors: with ProofIT and Hungarian KPMG experts. The IT project was hampered by an extremely short deadline of only three months.
The restrictions imposed by the epidemic also pose a challenge to companies operating on the international stage. Based on the experience of performance testing project carried out for the Bulgarian DSK Bank, an international IT project during the Covid-19 pandemic could have several critical points from both the client and the implementer side.
DSK project began in March 2020. What was typical for the spring of 2020? Lockdown, travel restrictions, border locks - as a result, personal collaboration with experts involved in an international project has been severely hampered, although in a complex project such as a performance testing project, several face-to-face meetings are needed to gather information and map out problems.
“For the entire duration of the performance testing project, we originally planned a 6-7 couple day trip and a face-to-face meeting, of which only 4 were eventually realized due to the coronavirus epidemic. With the closure of the borders, personal encounters eventually broke down, but by then we had already established the right relationships that could be relied upon in later work. Testing itself took place completely remotely, and we received adequate help to solve any problems that may arise in the meantime" - recalled the difficulties encountered during DSK Bank's performance testing project by Attila Mészáros, R&D manager at ProofIT.
Thus, in the case of an international IT project, lockdown, border closure and travel restrictions, which have been introduced hectically due to the coronavirus epidemic, can cause serious difficulties. All this creates barriers to communication between the client and the implementer company, and hinders the process of efficient information flow. Mental health factors should not be forgotten either, lockdown and the epidemic itself create uncertainty and tension and anxiety on the part of the project implementers, and stress can negatively affect the execution of the task.
What effective responses did ProofIT professionals provide to the challenges of an international IT project conducted during coronavirus epidemic? What should clients pay attention to?
In a rapidly changing, uncertain international environment, it is only worth entrusting a company that already has the professional and human key competencies that allow it to respond quickly and adapt to changed circumstances. A performance measurement, for example, is a very complex task that requires a wide range of expertise and can be successfully performed, especially during a pandemic, almost exclusively by a team of experts who have already gained sufficient depth and amount of experience in their previous IT projects.
The epidemic, lockdown and sudden changes, such as switching to full remote work, can negatively affect the mental health of project members, which can also affect the success of the entire IT project. For this reason, it is worthwhile to work with external partners where managers can safely keep their team of experts, even in extreme conditions. Thus, the question of experience arises again, from the project implementer's point of view, the human and managerial competencies of the management are also decisive for the success of the international project during coronavirus epidemic.
Flexibility on the part of the organization is critical. According to ProofIT's experience, a flexible approach is essential during an international project during a coronavirus epidemic, especially with regard to the development of external environmental factors, as it is difficult to predict the expected turnaround in an epidemic situation: how epidemic indicators develop; where, when will there be a border lock, what unforeseen difficulties will arise in a country, etc. It is not possible or very difficult to prepare for all this in advance, so even though each project has a strictly defined schedule, it is still worth adapting the steps and time frame to the current international epidemic situation.
An essential point of project management during an epidemic is increased communication. Closer co-operation, multi-round consultation and regular feedback, even if only online, will eliminate any misunderstandings arising from distance and international assignments.
“A test can technically be done completely from a distance of thousands of kilometers. However, some face-to-face meetings are definitely important to establish a well-functioning joint work. Building basic relationships lays the foundation for the flexibility and quality of future work. The establishment of trust and informal relationships is extremely important, as this was the most important basis for the second phase of automated testing collaboration, based on remote work. It is a great relief to know how to deal with an unexpected problem without getting involved in endless emailing” - emphasized Zsolt Varga, CEO at ProofIT, in connection with the Bulgarian bank's performance testing project.
We filtered out a lot of experience during our international project in March last year. Our most important vision is that the pandemic situation should not deter anyone from launching the necessary development projects. Even in the current extreme conditions, an IT project, such as a test automation project, can be carried out if we are properly prepared for possible critical points beforehand and respond flexibly to suddenly changing circumstances throughout the project.
