Quality and Testing Management for the Merger of Two European Banks
Finance
Project Management
- Project Quality Management for a Bank Merger
- Testing Methodology Definition
- Testing Team Organisation and Leadership
- Test Management in Jira and Zephyr Scale
- Steering Committee Reporting
18 months
two-phase merger programme
~50 testers
testing team organised and led
Completed on schedule
project delivered to plan
Hrvatska poštanska banka (HPB) embarked on a project to merge with Nova hrvatska banka (NHB), formerly Sberbank. Following HPB’s acquisition of NHB, the primary objective was the integration of the two banks, with a scope of work that involved adapting business processes and IT systems to support and reflect these changes.
The merger programme spanned approximately 18 months and was divided into two distinct phases: legal integration over six months, focused on the formal and legal aspects of merging the two entities, and operational integration over twelve months, which involved the practical merging of business operations and IT systems. Koios assumed the Project Quality Management role across the programme.
HPB lacked the defined methodologies and testing processes necessary for a project of this scale. That deficiency needed expert intervention to ensure the project’s success — without established methodology and a structured testing process, a programme adapting both business processes and IT systems across two merging entities had no reliable way to verify its own work.
Koios addressed the gap by assuming the Project Quality role, drawing on its knowledge of Quality Assurance and IT project testing processes, and its experience of project management and test management in financial institutions.
The work began with defining testing methodologies, establishing methodologies tailored to the project’s requirements. From there, Koios organised the testing team, leading a group of approximately 50 testers drawn from the business segment of the bank, and implemented the testing plan — developing test cases, planning test cycles and monitoring progress throughout.
Jira and Zephyr Scale were used for test management. This was critical, since the entire project was tracked through Jira. Alongside delivery, Koios reported continuously to the project Steering Committee on the status and progress of testing.
Collaboration was a key element of the approach, involving coordination with business IT analysts, stream leaders, and the PMO office and project managers.
Sixteen years of experience with similar projects allowed Koios to offer HPB a more effective option than an internal undertaking, bringing expertise in methodologies, foresight into potential challenges, and proficiency in handling large testing teams. That combination addressed the existing gap and provided a structured path to completing the merger.
- Timely project completion The project was completed on schedule, supporting a smooth transition through the merger.
- Effective testing processes Timely and well-designed tests minimised the need for rework and ensured high-quality outcomes.
- Defined testing processes across the bank The entire bank now benefits from a well-defined testing process, improving overall efficiency and consistency beyond the merger itself.
- Supported IT systems The system is now supported by IT systems that enable robust and reliable operations.
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