Case Studies

The Challenge

To create a programme to jointly deliver with Symbian Ltd, a set of automated Validation Suites written in Symbian C++, with the purpose of easing deployment of the mobile platform giving improvement in TTM and Quality.

How We Met the Challenge:

• Ramp up from 0-16 staff in 6 months.
• Key staff working at or close to the customer’s site to manage the set up and transfer of knowledge and work.
• Established two near-shore development sites in Estonia.
• Established a work-flow, skill transfer and communication plan.
• QA methods created and agreed with Symbian Ltd.
• Environment built in both Brighton & Estonia including Software Licences, Code repository access through external server, Configuration Management, Emulator Testing, Reference Hardware Testing
• Three projects delivered and currently defining a fourth.
• Strict Symbian security/secrecy requirements fulfilled.

Competencies deployed to this task:

• Project Management
• Work Packages Specification
• Symbian C++
• Carbide IDE
• Perforce
• Code Coverage (Bullseye)
• Symbian Reference Hardware
• Symbian TEF (Test Case Automation Framework)

The Challenge

To build and deploy, jointly with Symbian Ltd, a fully integrated Test Management System based on HP’s MQC (Mercury Quality Centre).The Test Management System will be integrated with the Nokia Carbide IDE and other business systems such as Defect Management System, Perforce Code Repository and Requirements Database.

How We Met the Challenge:

• Requirement capture and system design based on end-user feedback
• Agile development and test approach
• UI-design of Test Case editors built with JAVA eclipse plug-ins
• Legacy test repository of Symbian C++ code updated and migrated to the new Test Management System
• Test Report content captured per migration team. Bespoke reports created and tested as part of the migration
• UI-design and tool functionality tested using HP’s automated QTP tool
• Initially provided five developers to the project, growing to 15 resources, including Project Manager, Developers and Testers

Competencies deployed to this task:

• Project Management
• Requirement Management
• Mercury Quality Centre (MQC)
• JAVA
• Carbide
• Perforce
• Symbian C++
• QTP for automated UI testing
• Nearshore outsourcing

The Challenge

Cell Telecom enhanced and extended the Carbide IDE (Integrated Development Environment) to increase developer efficiency and satisfaction.

How We Met the Challenge:

• Structured interviews with key staff across the organisation to understand the current satisfaction levels and requirements
• Workshops with end users and stakeholders to create formal requirements, prioritised according to desirability and ease of implementation
• An Agile-based project team is implementing the requirements in a series of sprints from a pipeline of work that is actively managed between Cell Telecom Ltd and Symbian Ltd
• Key features are short development cycles alternating with frequent consultation and follow-up with end users
• Implementation can include: identification of a commercial tool, adaptation of a commercial tool or building a bespoke tool and deployment of the selected tool
• The investigation started in spring 2008 with two senior technical staff and grew to a team of seven developers/testers by September 2008

Competencies deployed to this task:

• Project Management
• Requirement Management
• Work Packages Specification
• JAVA
• Carbide IDE
• Eclipse
• Perforce
• Nearshore outsourcing

The Challenge

To develop a language translation application prototype useful for translating words, image-related text and sentences from English to either Spanish or Swedish. Translations can be performed for entire sentences comprising words built from a predefined list (or grid) of subjects, verbs, nouns and adjectives. Individual words can be translated through the use of pictures or a built-in dictionary.

For the prototype, translation subjects are limited to travel and hotel scenarios. The User Interface allows both touch selection, functional navigation via finger swipes and real-time language modification.

How We Met the Challenge:

• The prototype was developed using the iPhone SDK
• The translation data was stored using iPhone's SQLite database
• The prototype was tested, initially, on the iPhone simulator then later on the target hardware
• The prototype was distributed to a select group using the Apple Ad-Hoc distribution mechanism

Competencies deployed to this task:

• Project Management
• Requirement Management
• iPhone SDK
• GUI Design
• Objective-C
• SQL

The Challenge

To create a community based mobile application that provides real-time sharing of mobile multimedia content, photos and videos, to a web-based browser application.

The solution enables real-time communication between the mobile handset and the web application by Text messaging (SMS). The mobile application has Global Positioning System (GPS) integration, so that the server side can display the location of the photos on an internet map.

The mobile solution was developed with and successfully used by the West Sussex Local Education Authority (LEA).

How We Met the Challenge:

• Project established to define and describe the mobile to server solution
• Project delivered and tested, initially on a Nokia S60 platform
• End-to-End Solution tested and deployed by West Sussex Local Education Authority
• Web-Server and SMS Gateway hosted at Cell Telecom
• Mobile Application ported to iPhone, Windows Mobile and JAVA
• Mobile application ported to Symbian Secure platform v9.x
• Mobile application Symbian Signed

Competencies deployed to this task:

• Project Management
• Requirement Capture
• Nokia
• Symbian C++
• Messaging & Bluetooth
• Location Based Services
• Web-Server
• Hosting