Happenings
Systems & Support Division Rewards Top Performers
Associate of the Quarter
Venu Boppa
Named Associate of the Quarter, Venu Boppa, a senior developer in Government Programs eCommerce, is known for being professional and thoughtful and for frequently exceeding expectations in support of his team, our customers, and the company mission. He provides valuable feedback and direction to developers, business analysts and customers daily. Venu upholds strict quality standards in eCommerce’s report production and has been instrumental in coordinating, defining and interpreting the data for accurate reporting to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. His proactive approach and attention to detail consistently surpassed departmental quality benchmarks. Venu’s dedication inspires his colleagues to maintain high standards and fosters a culture of excellence within the organization.
Coach of the Quarter
Douglas Wells
A developer IV in the Front-End System Department, Douglas Wells was named Coach of the Quarter because even when he is busy, he is willing to help coworkers and mentor new team members. He even takes the time to create easy-to-understand diagrams that organize and simplify complex processes for the team. His broad information technology experience makes him the go-to team member to resolve system errors and problems. The team knows they can count on him when issues arise, A true professional, Douglas genuinely cares about delivering excellent quality work and is an inspiration to others.
Team of the Quarter
Avaya Oceana Web Visibility Enhancement Team
Team members: Gerald Eichelberger, Carol Harper, Steven Hester, Marlowe Leverette, Katie McLean, Derek Roberts, Quentin Rodriquez and David Russell.
In January 2024, driven by customer feedback and analytics data, the eCommerce Web team was tasked with improving the user experience of the chat feature on the Palmetto GBA provider websites. The eCommerce Web team began exploring ways to capture the visual attention of site visitors and prompt them to use the chat feature. The team held weekly status meetings with management and several demo meetings before implementation to ensure all requirements were being met. In the end, the team created several visual updates and new chat widgets to make it easier for site visitors to find and use the chat feature. The improved user experience resulted in the highest total number of chats and largest month-over-month increase in chats since the Avaya Oceana platform was deployed in February 2023.
Process Improvement of the Quarter
Automate DbidS Manual Test Cases
Division 34 team members: Lavanya Chiriki, Honey Comer, Smitha Daram, Akash Dewan, Tara Green, Kandy Harrell, Stephanie Harvey, Chetana Honnarayanhalli, Rodney King, Ratna Meda, Jamie Potteiger, Ahamed Saklaen, Felix Scherbin, Prabhakar Kumar Sharma, Yared Tibebu, Jenelle Wright-Thomas and Yamini Vytla.
Division 10 team members: LeRicko Benson, Cornelius Jeffcoat and Chris Zambounis.
The Systems and Support Division’s Process Improvement of the Quarter has been awarded to the Competitive Bidding Implementation Contract (CBIC) eCommerce team for automating manual test cases. By integrating the CBIC Selenium framework into the Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, Orthotics and Supplies (DMEPOS) Bidding System (DbidS), the team made significant improvements to efficiency and resource management. By automating 26 percent of the manual test cases, the CBIC Testing Assurance Group (TAG) not only streamlined the User Acceptance Testing (UAT) but also redirected valuable human resources toward more critical tasks. This strategic shift from manual to automated testing significantly reduced the number of hours and staff members required to complete the work. All told, this process improvement is expected to reduce manual testing by 341 hours per year, creating a more agile and responsive development cycle.
