U.S. Amateur Hockey Scores New Web Site with Compuware Assist

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Get in the game.

That's the message USA Hockey, Inc. intended to leave with its members, as it set out to create an online marketing and communications tool to do so. With 70 employees supporting more than 595,000 members, however, USA Hockey lacked the IT resources for a project this elaborate. The organization drafted Compuware—and found it paid off.

As the national governing body for the sport of ice hockey in the United States, USA Hockey sets rules and regulations, endorses regional and national tournaments, and organizes training clinics for players, coaches and officials. The organization's original web site served as a source for members and media to download general information. With 2,500 member associations, however, the organization needed more than a corporate site. "We needed a marketing and a communications platform, not just for our headquarter employees and volunteer corps, but for our member associations across the country. Internally, we lacked the experience required to launch a project of this magnitude," states Lauren Pasquale, director of Online Services at USA Hockey. The organization looked for a solution offsite and found Compuware's NearShore Development Center (NSDC), a global development facility in Montreal, Canada.

Using Java, WebLogic, Oracle and Apache technologies, the NSDC built an advanced online publishing system that offered members more than a place to go for scores. The NSDC team built an easy-to-use, flexible template for member associations to use to create their own web sites. The site also included:

a Tournament tool for managing real-time scores, statistics and standings during tournaments

a Season tool for managing team rosters and tracking cumulative stats and standings throughout a season

an event calendar, advertising banner management and other publishing tools.
Member associations can schedule practices, post event information, recruit sponsors, track tournament results, conduct registrations for coaching clinics and locate local hockey programs, all online. Essential for players, coaches and officials, as well as scouts for the NHL, college and junior hockey leagues, the new online tools provide more detailed tournament information in real time.

The challenge was how to get member associations to take advantage of the online tools. "We wanted everyone on the same network, but we had to offer a legitimate incentive to use our solution. Of the 2,500 groups we were trying to unify, many already had local associations or partnerships. The system had to be intuitive and user friendly enough to attract people from varying levels of technical experience," explains Pasquale. "Because Compuware created a system that is versatile and easy to use, we've given them a reason to come to us."

Specialty Teams at Your Service

USA Hockey's new web-based communications platform needed to handle the pressure of the National Championships, as thousands of teams and interested supporters checked real-time scores, schedules and statistics. Compuware offered a strong line-up of quality assurance (QA) professionals equipped with industry-leading automated QA tools. Compuware leveraged the expertise from the Montreal NSDC, and the Denver and Detroit professional services teams to ensure the site performed under the high-volume demand and pressure of USA Hockey's passionate members. "The technologies are used in a very dynamic way," says USA Hockey Network Coordinator Todd Watts. "The high degree of personalization needed for the individual tournaments, and the dynamics of how these pages are rendered makes this site unique. During a major event like Nationals, it puts a tremendous load on the system."

Equipped with Compuware's automated testing tools, the QA specialty team tested and validated the scalability, reliability and usability of the web site. The team used QARun test scripts to check functionality, QALoad scalability testing to verify the site could handle the expected volume, and Vantage performance management tools to collect traffic statistics. As Compuware's tools pinpointed problem areas, team members focused on resolving issues with third-party software fixes or hardware upgrades.

Compuware's specialty team also added special touches, such as the site's integrated links. Users can pull up a team's roster and find a link to the team's schedule, where they can track other teams in their pool or division. Adding this type of functionality required a high degree of customization from the back-end, and thorough understanding of the business. The Compuware team met with USA Hockey in person to talk business requirements. "That level of attention gave us the greatest confidence that Compuware was accessible and willing to work with us," says Pasquale. "We're not a technical group, and we can't advise them technically. But we could explain our business requirements in-depth and rest assured that they would translate that into a technical solution. They've done a great job listening and delivering. Now we can really get a lot deeper with the information we post. Everything is wrapped together rather than simply finding out if a team won or lost."

Creating a Buzz

USA Hockey showcased its landmark web site functionality at the 2003 National Championships. For the first time, tournament directors were able to change line-ups, deliver scores and report on live tournament action. Dick Coombs, a district director for USA Hockey's Pacific District, found the enhancements particularly valuable. "I was enormously impressed with the tournament coverage for Nationals. Up-to-the-minute information enabled our district to follow the progress of its participants and stay in touch," says Coombs. "As one who used the tournament tool, it is unparalleled in any amateur sport in North America. Keep up the good work, Compuware and USA Hockey."

Early statistics indicate other members agree. "Our goal of building an online community for our members has met fast success, as over 400 sites have already joined our network," says Pasquale. "Site traffic has more than doubled to 1.2 million page views a month, we host visits from 90,000 users per month, and the site drives significant traffic to our online store. The fact that so many users with varying levels of web publishing expertise can use the tool demonstrates the usability and effectiveness of the application Compuware created for us." As USA Hockey skates toward its goal, looks like they'll shoot—and score.

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