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Horizon Release Management
Memorandum
To: Dave Miller From: Andrew Simpkins
John Wheeler Horizon Release Management
Simon Rilot 3rd Floor, Terminal House
Dave Pamell ° 52 Grosvenor Gardens
Peter Jones - LONDON SW1W 0AB
Mike Coombs
Terry Austin
Peter Jeram
Telephone:
Fax: !
+
Date: 4th December 1998 Copy: John Meagher t
. Phil Kennedy
Bruce McNiven
Jan Topham
Horizon Testing and Programme Plan - Current Status
This memo summarises progress made in the last week, the agreed next steps, and issues for
management attention, and highlights the continuing uncertainty between ourselves.and
Pathway with regard to the testing plan.
Progress this Week
As you are aware Horizon, TIP and Pathway have carried out a comprehensive and detailed
analysis this week of pinICLs arising from MOR3 and E2E (and outstanding faults from
previous phases). We would like to thank Pete Jeram for his active support to this review. I
attach a copy of the summary totals and of the full piniCL analysis pack. We are still
awaiting feedback from Pathway on the status of some incidents and the pack will need
further validation next week. A significant number of incidents have been cleared by
Pathway in the ‘MOT baseline’ codeset which will be available next week, but these need to
be confirmed by Horizon/TIP, The number and type of outstanding incidents is nevertheless
4 scrious cause for concem in our view.
Uorizon proposes to use the pack as a key control document with Pathway to monitor
progress through the remaining testing work, to focus effort, and to provide a firm factual
basis for decisions on starting MOT and release authorisation. The document will be
centrally maintained and show comments from both Horizon and Pathway on status.
Next Steps
We have agreed the following steps with Pathway to take testing forward:
1. Horizon will provide staff to witness the EPOSS Final Pass in order to confirm the closure
of faults . = .
2. Horizon and TIP will undertake a planned series of tests, with Pathway support, between vornle Achuly
now and Christmas to provide an initial assessment of the ‘MOT baseline’ code, including Shadi Man tate J
the area of financial integrity of counter processes and reporting and to provide some
initial proving of the revised Pathway/TIP interface processes. This will be done without SF
prejudice to the Horizon proposal that further cycles of pre-proving will need to be run in Qotmtesh
the New Year prior to MOT OS Ie
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3. TIP will complete testing of their revised interface validation by, 14th December, which
will address problems experienced with item transaction modes
4, TIP staff will participate in the series of targetted tests being arranged with CAPS in the
next fortnight in order to check some known BES problems
5. TIP staff will also carry out some checking of results from the TPS Final Pass in order to
assess the quality of files being generated for the TIP interface
- 6. A pre-proving run of office migration processes with live reference data is being arranged
for early January covering the new mapping tables, migration specific products, and the
improved MiEcco tool.
2. Tent? Tesh Qchaky ow morta 13th.
Testing Issues
Since tabling the paper on the ‘Key Problem Area Analysis’ at the Checkpoint meeting on
(sth November good progress has been made on most of the 9 areas identified. We will
reissue this summary next week showing the current action points. Specific concerns that
have been confirmed by the pinICL review include:
On the TIP interface .
+ End-of-Day markers - the system is not creating the correct, discrete daily files as per the
TIP interface specification if, for whatever reason, the end-of-day process is not run in an
outlet
BES fallback processing - the outputs to TIP do not conform to the specification
* Inconsistencies between the transaction file totals and cash account - some of which may
have been due to reference data mapping problems, and Pathway operational errors in the
testing environment, but nevertheless have resulted in failed test conditions
¢ ‘Lost’ BES transactions on the transactions file
« Empty files being generated for non-automated offices
On the Counter
* The counter reports remain a cause for concern but we understand Pathway is focusing
more resource on this arce
* A number of incidents around stock unit balancing
* The system forces the user to produce ‘mandatory reports’ even when no relevant
‘transactions have been entered
Other Issues
A number of other issues have been identified for resolution as follows:
* cash account balances - following a constructive joint meeting on the reasons for
imbalances, Graeme Seedall has an action for POCL to define and agree additional
business rules in the event that mapping probleins give rise to imbalances in the cash
account (which should only be an exceptional circumstance in live running)
* class ‘B’ reference data - the interface specification for the interim Solution ig still not
agreed but POCL (Phil Kennedy) will be tabling a revised proposal early next week
* code baseline - given the number of changes which it is expected will have to be fast-
tracked into the current MOT baseline we believe it will be highly desirable for Pathway
to provide a fresh bascline build. We will need to understand the implications of this next
build
* ‘joint testing’ processes - both parties have expressed a willingness to work more closely
together on testing. POCL are continuing to take steps to improve their internal co-
ordination across Horizon/TIP/HAPS/Reference Data but we need to understand and
agree how we can best work with Pathway during the final stages of testing. We are
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concerned, for example, that the ‘quasi-live’ Pathway support to Model Office around the
TIP interface was not as effective as that provided by the systems staff supporting End-to-
nd. Further and urgent discussion is needed in this area.
{mpact on Plan
Horizon have tabled a proposed pian for testing based on their current assessment of the time
it will take to ‘pre-prove’ the Pathway solution to a standard that will give sponsors
confidence to enter MOT. We do not have however an understanding of Pathway’s prognosis .
for fault clearances which would help inform this assessment nor an alternative proposal.
from them as to how this confidence could be achieved in a faster timescale. As we have
demonstrated this week we are willing to put our resources and efforts into any reasonable
activity which will assist Pathway, and POCL, in driving to a successful conclusion of
testing. Our position remains, however, that besed on the nature of the business processes
involved we need to see clear evidence of, firstly, a stable accounting and reconciliation
position in the outlet followed, secondly, by the transfer of accurate data across the
TIP/HAPS/BES and Reference Data interfaces. This does not prevent us carrying out some
of these activities in parallel but there is a fundamental logic in the need for this two step
approach which we believe is demonstrated by the testing experience to date. We still
therefore propose to work to the plan discussed with Pathway last week while remaining
willing to discuss proposals from Pathway which might realistically accelerate progress.
There is an urgent need for us to agree the testing plan, especially in the light of the nced to
_feport to Ministers next week and to have a clear plan to propose with BA/CAPS.
Andrew Simpkins
Horizon Release Management
P.84784
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