| | April 201719CIOReviewThe Dawn of Agile DevelopmentBy William H. Morris, Associate CIO & Beth Meese, Executive Director, Cleveland ClinicHow has your software testing operating model changed during the last five years?Founded in 2011, Cleveland Clinic's Clinical Solutions Center (CSC), comprised of clinicians, software developers and analysts, works closely with clinical caregivers to develop state-of-the-art technology solutions across the enterprise to enhance patient safety and workflow efficiencies. Our strategy is to provide caregivers with innovative solutions that bring the most value and align with the strategic initiatives of the organization. Our goal is to ensure that these technology-supported applications are not simply solutions we push to clinicians, but rather solutions developed by clinicians to meet their specific needs, and enhance the quality of patient care they deliver each day.In last five years, we have adopted some agile software development methodologies that allow us to deliver solutions to our customers in rapid iterations with frequent testing and assessments. As opposed to the sequential, non-iterative waterfall developments and big bang go-lives that were done in the past, agile development allows for constant feedback from our customer. Typically, the Minimal Viable Product (MVP) is provided in the first release to meet initial customer requirements. As collaboration between teams continue, the MVP develops into a more comprehensive solution, based on constant feedback from our customer.After each new release, customers test the software according to specific frameworks. We then continue to adjust our solution until they tell us it best meets their clinical objectives and requisites. Customers no longer have to wait until the end of a component of work or project to begin testing. Developers and quality analysts (QAs) are on the same team in the CSC. This high velocity development model commonly results in faster deployments, more effective solutions and greater customer satisfaction throughout the entire development process. It's also a more reliable way to deploy software, detect early defects and rollback as needed.What set of skills do you think is required for the technology leaders to be successful in the new approach to software testing?Some examples of the Clinical Solutions Center's technology solutions which have been developed according to the new high velocity/agile approach to software development and testing include:· Iris Mobile, which enables clinical caregivers the ability to view important patient data contained within the electronic medical record securely on their mobile device, transforming Cleveland Clinic mobile devices from advanced communication devices to essential clinical tools. · eHospital, a remote patient monitoring operation center located at a remote facility within Cleveland Clinic's Main Campus that allows clinical caregivers to keep a close eye on the sickest ICU patients and respond to them faster, to reduce length of stay and prevent codes from happening. William H. MorrisCIO Insights
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