Contact Us
« Back

Executive Summary

A specialty commercial P&C carrier was undergoing a phased core platform upgrade while struggling with high production defects and heavy manual testing. Quality practices were reactive, defect escape rates exceeded 80%, and release confidence was inconsistent.

Next Level Solutions partnered with the carrier in a 12-month engagement to stabilize quality operations, strengthen governance, and improve earlier defect containment. Within that period, production defects decreased by 76% and defect escape rates were reduced by more than half.

The result was measurable risk reduction and improved delivery confidence during a high-change release period.

The Client 

A U.S.-based specialty commercial insurance carrier operating in a complex, partially modernized core environment. The organization was executing phased enhancements to Guidewire PolicyCenter while advancing broader digital initiatives.

The Challenge

The carrier’s QA model was largely manual and reactive:

  • Approximately 90% manual testing

  • Defect escape rate above 80%
  • Significant percentage of defects discovered in production

  • Regression cycles slowing release velocity

  • High cost of defect fallout and rework

As platform changes accelerated, manual-heavy processes could not keep pace. Quality instability introduced operational risk and eroded business confidence in releases.

Leadership needed to reduce production risk while maintaining momentum for ongoing system enhancements.

The Approach

Next Level Solutions focused on stabilizing and strengthening the carrier's quality model during an active upgrade cycle. 

Structured Quality Governance - NLS introduced clearer accountability, improved defect tracking transparency, and implemented more disciplined testing workflows. Leadership gained improved visibility into quality trends and release readiness.

Earlier Defect Containment - Through closer coordination between QA and development teams, defects were identified earlier in the lifecycle. This shift reduced downstream production impact and increased containment effectiveness.

Targeted Process Improvements - Manual testing processes were streamlined, including a 50% reduction in ratebook-related manual testing. Foundational automation frameworks were baselined to support future scalability and CI/CD alignment.

Over the 12-month engagement:

  • Defect escape rate reduced from 86% to 34%
  • QA-identified defects increased from 14% to 63%
  • 76% reduction in production defects across the organization
  • 81% reduction in production defects within policy administration
  • 50% reduction in manual Ratebook testing

These improvements materially reduced operational disruption and strengthened release predictability.

By the Numbers

34%
Defect Escape Rate
Down from 86%

76%

Reduction in 
Production Defects

63%
Defects Caught by QA 
Up from 14%

50%
Reduction in
Ratebook Testing

Business Impact

Reduced Operational Risk A significant decline in production defects lowered rework costs and minimized business disruption.

Improved Release Confidence Executives gained greater visibility into quality metrics and stronger confidence in go-live decisions.

IT and Business Alignment Structured governance and clearer accountability improved collaboration across teams.

Foundation for Continued Modernization The engagement established process discipline and measurement rigor required to support ongoing platform evolution and future automation expansion.

The engagement established the structural foundation required to scale automation and embed quality earlier in future delivery cycles.

Stabilizing Quality in Complex Core Environments

Modern core platforms demand disciplined delivery. In high-change environments, quality cannot be reactive or manual-heavy. It must be structured, measurable, and aligned to business risk.

This engagement demonstrates how disciplined quality stabilization can materially reduce production defects, restore release confidence, and create the foundation for sustained modernization.

Partner with Next Level Solutions

Next Level Solutions helps P&C carriers stabilize delivery, strengthen governance, and modernize quality practices across complex core environments. Our teams combine deep platform expertise with structured execution models designed to reduce risk and improve predictability.

We can help strengthen quality and delivery in your environment.

Whether navigating a core platform upgrade, accelerating release cycles, or preparing for future automation expansion, we help carriers build the operational discipline required to move forward with confidence.