Blue Canopy
What We Do

IT Services

Organizations are constantly challenged with integrating legacy applications to meet changing business processes and needs, as well as new organization structures and governance models. As legacy applications and environments age, efforts to integrate and align them become increasingly difficult and costly.

System Integration Services

Our systems integration resources leverage proven techniques and technologies to minimize risk, reduce complexity and reduce the cost of developing and integrating applications and systems. Specifically, our systems integration services cover all phases of the life cycle including:

  • business case development
  • requirements design
  • systems design and development
  • implementation support
  • training
  • software selection support
  • COTS implementation support
  • outsourcing analysis and support

We also provide independent assessments and reviews to ensure existing systems meet documented goals and objectives, and the systems development methodologies are consistent with established SDLC methods and guidelines, including compliance with governance requirements such as Sarbanes-Oxley and OMB A-123 guidelines.

Quality Assurance Services

Our experience has led us to acknowledge the fact that the role of testing within the application development lifecycle has become a vital part of quality assurance. We consult with many companies involved with software development and have found that testing early in the lifecycle, along with adequate planning from the beginning of development, are all necessary to help alleviate issues and promote a competitive edge. Our SQA services are used to measure software products and determine how well they are built. They occur throughout the Software Development lifecycle and include:

  • Functional and Regression Testing
  • Performance Testing
  • Defect Management
  • Software Change Control

These services are offered in our Reston-based dedicated testing facility where we maintain an inventory of multiple desktop systems, servers, laptops, operating systems, etc. for compatibility testing. We can setup almost any scenario at our facility to ensure real-life emulation, allowing us to find real-time solutions. Whether you outsource your testing needs to Blue Canopy or deploy our consulting team to develop a plan for your internal team onsite, we focus on providing all the essential processes necessary to provide a meaningful, productive test environment. We can work in a traditional integrated model with the project team, but also possess SQA model but also have strong qualifications in an Independent Validation & Verification (IV&V) model.

  • Acceptance Testing - including but not limited to Alpha Testing, Beta Testing, Smoke Testing, User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
  • Functional Testing - including but not limited to Black Box Testing, User Interface (UI) Testing, User Experience Testing, End to End (ETE) Testing, Regression Testing
  • Independent Validation and Verification (IV&V) - including but not limited to previously described Acceptance and Functional type tests, on demand tests for 508 (UI testing for the visually impaired), Accessibility and Stop Gap Testing

Process Quality Assurance (PQA)
This category of services measures software engineering activities to determine how well they are being done. Many of the practices of PQA are similar to SQA; however, where SQA is about a product, PQA is about the process and organizational change. We use business standards like CMMI and engineering standards like ISO 12207 and 90003:2004 to conduct deep analysis of the client organization. We evaluate people, processes and technology. Our process includes:

  • A thorough discussion of goals
  • A complete step-by-step methodology
  • A detailed timetable
  • Setup and configuration instructions for any necessary test beds

Depending on where we look, this analysis will take the shape of QA Mentoring and PMO and Planning Support. It may identify gaps in the amount of staff, staff training, process consistency or maturity, or how well current technology supports the business. At the end of these assessments, we provide our findings, make recommendations, and provide the client with a road map for organizational change.

  • Quality Assurance - SDLC Component Assessments (for Requirements Engineering, Design, Construction, Testing, Maintenance), Best Practice Alignment Assessments, Mentoring, Compliance Assessments, and Artifact Assessment
  • Business Analysis - Support for Business Requirements Engineering, Change Management (including Build, Version, and Release Management)
  • Risk Analysis - Assessment, Plan Development, and Remediation (for Environment, People, Budget, Schedule, Security)