A successful transition to HiX at Zuyderland: collaboration, testing and trust

Moving from SAP to HiX is a major step for any healthcare organization. At Zuyderland Medisch Centrum, there was an extra challenge: the geriatric rehabilitation department decided relatively late to join the migration. That meant a short lead time, limited preparation and high pressure on the project team. Even so, the team went live with well-tested software.

Test consultants Maarten Sluiter and Dennis van de Langenberg guided the project. Their role: creating a clear overview, getting the risks into sharp focus and making sure healthcare professionals could test and make decisions with confidence.
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Close to day-to-day practice
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Maarten and Dennis worked closely with key users, functional management, IT, project management, facilities and the steering committee. That mix of stakeholders called for a clear and practical approach.
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Maarten: “We want clients to know exactly where they stand. Not too rosy, not too cautious. Just an honest picture you can base decisions on.”
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To surface all the information in a short time, Maarten and Dennis organized several test rounds: user acceptance tests, conversion tests, go-live tests and work process tests. The users carried out the tests themselves. The test team provided structure, guidance and clear preconditions, so everyone could contribute effectively.
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Testing what really matters
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The core of the approach was risk-based testing. What exactly needs to go right to work safely and without errors? Where could things go wrong? Which process steps are critical?
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Together with the key users, Maarten and Dennis developed test scripts covering work processes, data quality, authorizations and peripheral devices. Healthcare professionals know better than anyone how their work should run and where the margin for error is small. Their insights formed the basis of the scripts.
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“We translated their expertise into test cases,” says Maarten. “That gave Zuyderland a clear picture of what was going well, what needed attention and what had to be prioritized.”
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All findings were recorded and reviewed with the project team. Based on that, Maarten and Dennis gave objective advice. The final go/no-go decision was Zuyderland's own.
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A bridge between healthcare and technology
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The project demanded speed, focus and collaboration. According to Maarten, it's the collaboration he's most proud of. “We saw how committed the healthcare professionals were. As testers, but above all as partners. Together we built a system that supports their work. That collaboration is what makes it meaningful.”
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The result: a successful transition to HiX, embraced by the people who work with it.
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A good example of what's possible when healthcare and technology come together, and when testing doesn't feel like a box-ticking exercise but like a tool for making the right choices.