QA Processes Modernized Using Best Practices to Achieve Stability in Large-scale IT System within Agribusiness

Provided services

Client

Our client is a large corporation with a leading position in the development of software solutions for the agricultural industry. It specializes in the development and implementation of innovative software solutions aimed at optimizing processes and improving the quality of management in agriculture.

Product

Our client’s product is a comprehensive tool designed specifically to automate agricultural processes. It combines the functions for the collection, processing and analysis of data that are required for the efficient management of agricultural operations.

The product’s primary goal is to provide farmers, agricultural professionals, and other participants within the agricultural sector with prompt access to high-quality statistical and analytical information. A user-friendly and intuitive interface facilitates registration for producers and agricultural participants, along with tracking batches of raw materials and finished products within the application.

The solution also enables the creation and maintenance of all necessary documentation containing product information. This ensures complete traceability throughout transportation. Implemented tools to monitor product movements at all stages, from transportation to final sale.

The directories and classifiers in the application are regularly updated to keep users up to date with the latest changes and requirements in agriculture.

Built on a client-server architecture, the product functions as a web application. The client side facilitates user interaction with the application through a web browser.

Challenge

Our client is undertaking the development of a product that merges over 50 regional divisions into a unified analytical and informational infrastructure. As the platform’s functionality expands, new major sections are being added.

However, the development process encountered significant roadblocks related to quality management. The absence of a well-defined QA process resulted in frequent release delays and a mass of errors in the production environment.

These challenges forced the team into a constant cycle of bug fixes. Consequently, the team was burdened with overtime hours to restore product functionality. This led to burnout among team members due to constant overwork and stress, resulting in increased staff turnover.

Therefore, the client was looking for a partner who could establish an effective QA process, implement best practices and modern methodologies to stabilize the project.

Our primary objective was to create a robust product quality control system. This system would significantly reduce errors in production environment and prevent missed release deadlines. Furthermore, we aimed to cultivate a collaborative environment where every member of the QA team would be able to actively influence release outcomes.

Project Context

Due to the client’s tight budget, they strongly opposed any arguments advocating for the expansion of the QA team.
There was a noticeable skepticism and resistance among the client’s representatives toward adopting new processes.

Solution

We started the project changes by introducing TestRail, a test management tool. This was a key step as it meant creating the project’s test library with test suites and test cases for different functionalities.

Despite its significance, we initially encountered resistance and skepticism from the client’s representatives. They perceived the time to be allocated for test documentation as unproductive and questioned its value. Undeterred, we persistently advocated for dedicating time to develop test documentation during each sprint planning session. This often required extensive negotiations and compromise-seeking.

We implemented the changes gradually, making small iterations in the creation of test documentation and continuing to convince the client of the importance of this activity. Our efforts paid off. Gradually, with each passing week, we were noticing positive changes in the processes:

Thanks to the created test suites and test scenarios, the time for their execution has been reduced.
Now the QA process is more transparent and it is easy to track the results in reports and dashboards. The team can easily assess the number of tests executed, the number of successful tests, and identify areas that require additional attention.
Little by little, the client’s team members became more confident in our team after seeing the results of our efforts and the positive impact we were making on the project. Our persistence in allocating time for the development of test documentation and our constant reiteration of the importance of this process played a key role.

Statistics for test runs and their results on the Test Runs & Results Dashboard

Test run execution information, including run status (passed, failed, skipped), date of execution, performer information, etc.

At the same time, we realized we needed to work on strengthening the role of the QA team within this project. For that, we created a plan in which iterative small changes would be made and then their effectiveness would be demonstrated. It was clear that sharp changes could cause resistance in the client’s team, so it was important for us to demonstrate the effectiveness of the new testing culture through a series of successful iterations. A key element of this culture was the ability for the QA engineer to influence the results of the release. If blocking bugs are identified, he has the authority to stop the release. We confidently strived to create a responsible and respectful environment that prioritized product quality and the prevention of potential problems during the release phase.

During our team’s Intense engagement with the project, we have observed some shortcomings related to the completeness and structure of the documentation. The documentation was scattered; it was hard for even the most experienced team members to find something. Some of the workflows were communicated verbally and never appeared in written form. We took on the responsibility of creating and systematizing the testing section in Confluence. The task included the creation of not only the structure of the section, but also of a detailed description of the QA process. The project manager liked the results of our work, thanked us and went on to develop all the documentation for the project in a similar style. Now all the processes on the project are structured and documented.

Once we had been able to stabilize some of the functionality and get it up and running smoothly, we suggested to the project manager that automated testing was also put in place. Because of the successful project turnaround and the reputation that we had built up with the project manager, we were able to get this initiative through with ease.

The QA automation engineer’s immersion into the project was handled by our team and it went smoothly. We worked on compiling a list of test cases suitable for automation and subsequently updating it.

The automated testing allowed us to reduce the burden of manual testers, relieving them of mundane and repetitive tasks. The test cases we designed laid the groundwork for creating automated tests, which also helped in increasing the efficiency of testing overall.

As the project scaled and the team grew, it became clear that a dedicated QA team leader was required to effectively manage the QA process. Our proven experience and competence in testing, coupled with a trust-based relationship with the client project manager, enabled us to quickly select and integrate a highly qualified QA lead. This was done within five working days. The QA lead is now successfully leading the work of the QA team on a day-to-day basis. He is continually refining processes and capable of handling project resources expertly, which enhances the efficiency and quality of the project.

Testimonial

Product company

Services in the field of agricultural technologies

"We turned to JazzTeam to create a prototype, and during our cooperation we decided to work together on the development of a full-fledged version of the web application. We received not only the result that we expected directly from the development, but also assistance in organizing and maintaining the infrastructure, in consulting on development and testing. The team did not solve issues on the nose, they analyzed and proposed optimal ideas for implementation. We gained much advantage from choosing JazzTeam as a contractor to solve our business challenge.

I would also like to note the high level of professionalism: we had difficulties in understanding how to work with the team remotely, how to convey our ideas, because the application was developed from scratch, there were many unfinished nuances that needed to be discussed and implemented in the daily planning mode, but as a result, the guys did an excellent job by doing their work and always optimally solving all the difficulties encountered on our way.

We are satisfied with the cooperation with JazzTeam and plan to continue it in the near future. Surely, we recommend the team and the company."

Result

We have created a culture on the project where a QA engineer can impact the destiny of a release. QA engineers are empowered to halt releases when they find critical defects. This creates a responsible and respectful culture that puts product quality and the prevention of potential issues at the release stage at the highest priority.

The utilization of the TestRail, test management tool, has also improved immensely the testing process. We developed an elaborate test library with detailed test cases. This improves significantly test execution time and provides greater transparency while testing.

We collaboratively configured and documented testing processes to optimize team-wide efficiency and transparency. These stabilized our release schedule, contained fewer errors in the production environment, and finally reduced team burnout and turnover.

We also implemented a test plan for manual testing and added it to the CI/CD pipeline. This provides the team with immediate feedback on all aspects of development, leading to better quality and quicker development processes.

The introduction of automated testing has reduced the burden on manual QA engineers to a significant degree, raising overall testing effectiveness. We actively contributed towards making this happen by creating test case lists specifically for automation.