TLC Beta Program
Overview
The TLC Beta Program consists in sending a Cognos team (at Cognos' cost)
to the customer site for a period of one to two weeks. This team is responsible
for assisting the customer with the installation of the beta software and
collaborating with the customer on the creation of a test application as
well as a testing agenda, prior to the start of the beta.
Benefits
Expedited Support - during the onsite visit, the Cognos TLC team will report
all issues and enhancement requests to Development headquarters in Ottawa.
Resources from our Development headquarters will be committed to supporting
the onsite Cognos TLC team. After the visit has been completed, Customer
Support Personnel will be assigned to work with the Customer to resolve
further issues and get bugs reproduced and fixed.
Free training opportunity - the onsite Cognos TLC team provides hands-on
knowledge transfer to Customer resources. This can be in the form of presentations
or hands-on training while the product is beta tested.
Ensure the product will meet Users needs - Participation in the program
provides Customers with the opportunity to have an early look at our upcoming
products, moreover being offered a chance to impact subsequent revisions
and find issues specific to their environment. This enables Cognos to ensure
that the product will meet the customer's needs when released, which should
have a direct impact on the success of our customers organizations.
TLC Beta Process
Qualification Questionnaire - Once the beta dates are
confirmed, candidates will be sent instructions on how to complete the Qualifying
Questionnaire. The questionnaire will provide Beta Management information
which will determine if the proposed test environment meets conformance
levels for the beta product.
Test Environment Conformance - Once the Qualification Questionnaire
is confirmed by Beta Management, the customer will be contacted to arrange
a conference call to talk about the test environment and request any upgrades
of components of the environment that does not meet conformance.
Beta License Agreement - Once conformance level is met,
a Beta License Agreement will be sent out for completion. This legal document
must be reviewed, completed and returned before the beta is launched. Because
participants are granted access to pre-release software, this step is mandatory.
Test Plan Creation - A test plan will then be created to
outline what will be tested and how the software will be distributed in the
test environment. This will give Product Management and Development a picture
of what is transpiring in order to reproduce issues and test in a similar
environment.
Beta Visit Logistics - Beta Management will schedule a
second conference call with the chosen TLC customers to discuss the logistics
of the visit and expectations of each party.
Product Documentation - As it becomes available, confirmed
participants will be sent beta documentation, such as installation guides,
user guides and new features lists. If a new features list is released,
customers are requested to select their features of interest. Doing so
will provide the Beta Management Team with a more precise overview of the
potential testing coverage for each feature, and therefore allow to prepare
for internal testing as necessary (if a feature is not broadly tested externally).
Onsite Beta visit - During the beta visit there will be
daily conference calls between the Cognos Beta Team and Product Management/Development
to keep up to date on what is going on and provide faster resolution to issues
or questions that come up prior to the conference call. Daily status reports
will also be sent back to Beta Management in order to compile the feedback
from all of the different TLC customers.
Product Testing - During the beta visit the customer will
install and test the software and provide feedback to the onsite beta team.
When issues or questions come up the beta team will either answer them
or defer to Ottawa for resolution. If an issue comes up that is of a Hotsite
level the beta team will refer to a development contact list and call for
instant resolution in order to make sure that the time spent onsite is
as productive as possible. After the visit is over customers are encouraged
to continue testing the software until the end of the pre-defined beta
period and can still log calls with Customer Support.
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