Testing problems rarely appear where you expect them
Testing risks often stay hidden until late in delivery, when they are harder, slower and more expensive to fix.
Even well-run teams can run into challenges. Testing approaches may vary across projects. Ownership may be unclear. Progress, risk and coverage may not be visible enough. Environments, data or tooling may not be ready when teams need them. In some cases, gaps only become obvious when defects reach production or delivery outcomes fall short of expectations.
CBO’s Testing Health Checks provide a clear, independent view of how testing is organised, governed and delivered. We help organisations understand what is working well, where risks may be building, and what practical steps can be taken to strengthen quality, control and delivery confidence.
Bringing testing expertise into a programme early can make a significant difference. But organisations also need
assurance at different points in delivery — whether they are preparing for a new programme, already mid- delivery, or reviewing lessons from recent change.
Common challenges we help identify
Testing issues are rarely caused by one single problem. More often, they come from small gaps across planning,
governance, roles, environments, data, tools and reporting.
Common challenges include:
- Inconsistent testing approaches across teams or projects
- Unclear ownership of testing responsibilities
- Limited visibility of progress, risks and test coverage
- Gaps in environments, data or tooling
- Reporting that does not give leaders a clear enough view of quality and readiness
- Testing activity that is not fully connected to wider project governance or delivery decisions
Left unaddressed, these issues can reduce confidence, increase delivery costs, and place pressure on operational teams.
How CBO can help
CBO’s Testing Health Check provides an independent assessment of how testing is working in practice.
We review the way testing is planned, governed, reported and delivered. We highlight strengths, identify risks early, and provide clear, prioritised recommendations that teams can act on.
Our approach draws on recognised industry good practice, including the TMMi maturity model, which helps
assess the maturity of testing capability, and ISTQB testing standards, which provide widely used principles for
effective software testing. We apply these frameworks in a practical way, shaped around your organisation, your
delivery environment and the level of assurance you need.
Through these health checks, we help organisations:
- Improve confidence in delivery outcomes
- Identify weaknesses in test planning, execution and reporting
- Strengthen governance and decision-making
- Establish more consistent and scalable testing practices
- Better manage technical, operational and delivery risk
- Give teams clear, practical actions to improve testing capability
Each health check is tailored to your organisation’s context, delivery stage and change ambitions.
Three levels of Testing Health Check
To support organisations at different stages of delivery, we offer three levels of review.
1. Targeted Testing Review
A focused assessment of testing within a single project, product team or delivery area.
This review typically includes interviews with key stakeholders and a sample review of testing artefacts, such as test strategies, plans, reports, defect logs, risk registers and governance materials.
It provides:
- A clear view of immediate testing risks
- Practical improvement opportunities
- A concise set of prioritised recommendations
This is suitable for organisations looking for a quick assurance point, targeted improvement, or an independent view during active delivery.
2. Department or Programme Testing Review
A broader review across multiple projects, suppliers or delivery teams.
This review looks at consistency of testing approaches, roles, governance, reporting and risk managementacross a wider programme or department.
It provides:
- A view of systemic issues affecting quality, coverage or visibility
- A thematic summary of strengths and risks
- Practical recommendations to improve consistency and control
- An improvement roadmap aligned to programme priorities
This is often useful when organisations are preparing for increased change activity, managing multiple delivery teams, or working with external suppliers.
3. Organisation-Wide Testing Health Check
A comprehensive assessment of testing capability across the organisation.
This review considers testing processes, governance, environments, data, tooling, reporting, supplier interaction
and operating model.
It provides:
- A maturity snapshot informed by recognised testing frameworks
- A clear view of organisational testing strengths and gaps
- Recommendations aligned to business and technology goals
- A structured improvement plan to strengthen testing capability over time
This is suitable for organisations looking to improve testing at scale, reduce delivery risk, or establish a more consistent approach across projects and programmes.
How we work
Each Testing Health Check begins with a short scoping discussion to understand your objectives, delivery context
and the level of assurance you need.
We then review selected materials and speak with key stakeholders to build a clear picture of how testing is
currently operating. Our focus is not to create unnecessary process or slow delivery down. It is to give teams
clear, useful insight that helps them make better decisions.
The outcome is a practical summary of strengths, risks and recommendations. Organisations can implement the
improvement roadmap independently, or CBO can provide further support where needed.
If your organisation is preparing for significant change, experiencing recurring delivery issues, or looking for
independent assurance over testing capability, we would be pleased to talk.
