How we’ve helped a major publisher meet milestones quickly year after year

Context

Thomas is VP of Technical Operations at a major lifestyle media publisher, overseeing infrastructure, cybersecurity, DevOps, vendor relationships, and more. At his previous company, Optimum Partners had been the testing automation partner — and that partnership left a strong impression.

When Thomas moved to this new role, he brought Optimum Partners with him.

The ask was large. The in-house team was small. And the test automation backlog stretched across nearly 30 brands — more than 1,600 test cases that had piled up over years.

Challenge

The backlog was just one part of the challenge. The company had struggled to scale engineering. Recruiting the right people took too long. New projects were launching fast. The need for reliable, embedded support was urgent.

“It’s hard to find talented engineers quickly, especially when delivery timelines are tight. Being able to lean on Optimum made all the difference.”

But this was not a plug-and-play setup. Success required deep integration into the team, tools, and standards — with zero disruption to product delivery.

Solution

Optimum Partners joined as an extension of the internal team. They used the same tools, followed the same processes, and were held to the same delivery standards as full-time staff.

Their onboarding model worked seamlessly. New engineers came in aligned, informed, and ready to contribute at the same level as people who had been on the account for years.

“They show up already plugged in. That’s a huge advantage.”

Thomas also pointed to the team’s flexibility and collaborative mindset — adapting quickly to shifting requirements and contributing to internal decisions, not just task execution.

“They’ve learned our systems, our approach, and our standards for quality. That investment shows in how they deliver.”

Outcome

• Cleared a multi-year automation backlog in under 12 months
• Scaled to 60 fully embedded team members supporting across departments
• Now owns automation and supports core engineering across 30+ brands
• Widely embraced across the org as internal team members

Optimum has helped change perceptions about what offshore or embedded teams can do — not by overpromising, but by consistently showing up and delivering as part of the team.