Specsavers tries a new focus for IT upgrades

High-street opticians invests to simplify development processes

Specsavers has invested in systems development consultancy and training to improve upgrades to the IT in its shops.

The high-street optician has hired specialist firm ThoughtWorks to improve the speed of internal IT projects and to get the most out of relationships with its third-party software developers.

The firm has introduced processes to keep code simple, while more frequent testing cycles allow parts of an application to be tailored to work in the most user-friendly and functional way.

Rick Kocher, director of systems development at Specsavers, says the company was struggling to keep up with upgrading and refreshing core business applications.

‘The new methodology has helped us keep pace without any constraints on development, although it has been a radical cultural change,’ he said.

‘Another key advantage is better engagement of users throughout the process.’